SynthesisCardiovascular drugs and therapy2023

Effect of PCSK9 Monoclonal Antibody Versus Placebo/Ezetimibe on Atrial Fibrillation in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk: A Meta-Analysis of 26 Randomized Controlled Trials.

Shuai Yang, Wen Shen, Hong-Zhou Zhang, Chen-Xi Wang, Ping-Ping Yang, Qing-Hua Wu

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cardiovascular drugs and therapy, 2023. The graph read 4 numbers from its abstract, feeding 1 cell of the map, but none could be read as for or against, so it casts no vote. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

4numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

Read, but not usablea number the graph found but could not read as for or against

Cardiovascular eventscomparator not stated · arrhythmia, ascvdfeeds one cell of the map
RR 1.010.95 to 1.08p = 0.67
PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66-0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; p = 0.67).
Cardiovascular eventscomparator not stated · arrhythmia, ascvdfeeds one cell of the map
RR 0.950.85 to 1.07p = 0.40
PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66-0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; p = 0.67).
Cardiovascular eventscomparator not stated · arrhythmia, ascvdfeeds one cell of the map
RR 0.920.87 to 0.97p = 0.003
PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66-0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; p = 0.67).
Cardiovascular eventscomparator not stated · arrhythmia, ascvdfeeds one cell of the map
RR 0.750.66 to 0.85p < 0.0001
PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66-0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; p = 0.67).

clause the extractor read what became the number

2 · Its place on the map

Where it lands on the map

Rows are treatments, columns are outcomes. The coloured squares are the cells this paper feeds, coloured by the vote it casts there. Click one to jump to what this paper adds to it.

supports the treatmentfavours the comparatorno clear differenceread, but no usable result
3 · What it changes

What it adds to each cell

For every cell the paper feeds: the belief in the claim with and without this paper, and this paper's estimate drawn against every other readable study in the cell. The ringed dot is this paper.

PCSK9 inhibitors×cardiovascular events

No readable resultOpen on the map →What to test next →

10 readable studies in this cell: 7 favour the treatment, 3 find no difference, 0 favour the comparator.

Belief with this paper
1.00established · 6 families support, 0 contradict · against placebo
Without itNot a counted family in this claim, so removing it changes nothing.
← favours the treatmentfavours the comparator →
1 · no effect
NCT0176463327,564 enrolled · 2013
HR 0.850.79 to 0.92
NCT0166340218,924 enrolled · 2012
HR 0.850.78 to 0.93
NCT0387240112,301 enrolled · 2019
HR 0.750.65 to 0.86

This paper's own estimate is on a different scale from the rest of the cell, so it is not drawn here.

4 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

5 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
6 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

7 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Shuai YangThe Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Wen ShenDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Hong-Zhou ZhangThe Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Chen-Xi WangThe Second Clinical Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Ping-Ping YangDepartment of Endocrinology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.
Qing-Hua WuDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China. ncwqh@163.com.ORCID 0000-0001-8690-2803
Nanchang University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

8 · The paper itself

Abstract

The marked sentences are the ones the graph read a number from.

backgroundPatients at high cardiovascular risk are closely associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF). Whether proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9 mAbs) can attenuate AF progression remains unknown.

methodsTo compare PCSK9 mAbs with placebo or ezetimibe to explore the effect of PCSK9 mAbs therapy on the end-point of incidence of AF, we searched PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov for articles. We used Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio (RR) with corresponding 95% CI for the categorical data, including the incidence of AF and predefined other outcomes of interest.

resultsWe included 21 articles consisting of 26 randomized controlled trials with a total of 95,635 participants. Quantitative synthesis revealed that PCSK9 mAbs significantly reduce the incidence of AF events (RR 0.84; 95% CI 0.72-0.98; p = 0.03), whereas no obvious differences were seen between the PCSK9 mAbs group and the ezetimibe group (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.29-2.76; p = 0.85). PCSK9 mAbs also markedly decreased the incidence of cerebrovascular events (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.66-0.85; p < 0.0001) and new-onset hypertension (RR 0.92; 95% CI 0.87-0.97; p = 0.003), but not the risk of cardiovascular death (RR 0.95; 95% CI 0.85-1.07; p = 0.40) and new-onset diabetes mellitus (RR 1.01; 95% CI 0.95-1.08; p = 0.67).

conclusionsOverall, the PCSK9 mAbs therapy reduced AF and presented certain cardiovascular benefits in patients at high cardiovascular risk. Further big-scale and long follow-up duration randomized controlled trials that compare PCSK9 mAbs with ezetimibe are required to evaluate the effect of PCSK9 mAbs versus ezetimibe on AF.

Indexed as

Anticholesteremic AgentsAtrial FibrillationCardiovascular DiseasesAntibodies, MonoclonalEzetimibeHeart Disease Risk FactorsHumansProprotein Convertase 9Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk FactorsAntibodies, MonoclonalAnticholesteremic AgentsEzetimibePCSK9 protein, humanProprotein Convertase 9Atrial fibrillationEzetimibeMeta-analysisPCSK9 monoclonal antibodyRandomized controlled trials

Identifiers

PMID35511323
OpenAlexW4229031518

What Socratic holds

Texttitle and abstract
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.