Amiodarone or an Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator for Congestive Heart Failure
New England Journal of Medicine, 2005 · paper · Clinical trials
A randomized trial of 2521 patients with heart failure, comparing placebo, the drug amiodarone and an implanted defibrillator. Amiodarone did not change survival, while the defibrillator reduced the risk of death by 23% over a median 45.5 months.
1 finding
Substance Table 1 (continued), 'Digoxin at last follow-up': placebo "524 (62)" and ICD "512 (63)". Against the ¶ footnote denominators (placebo 838, ICD 822) these should be 63% and 62%, so the two percentages appear swapped.
- p. 5 Table 1 (continued), row 'Digoxin at last follow-up', placebo column
524 (62)
- p. 5 Table 1 (continued), row 'Digoxin at last follow-up', ICD column
512 (63)
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Page 5 image: the column order is Amiodarone (N=845), Placebo (N=847), ICD (N=829). The row reads 496 (59), 524 (62), 512 (63). The ¶ footnote says follow-up medication data were available for amiodarone 840, placebo 838 and ICD 822. 524/838 = 62.5% (62.53, not a tie) rounds to 63, and 512/822 = 62.3% rounds to 62. With the full-arm denominators, ICD 512/829 = 61.8%, still not 63. I spot-checked other follow-up cells in the placebo and ICD columns (beta-blocker, ACE inhibitor, ARB, potassium-sparing, thiazide, aspirin, warfarin, statin); all round correctly against 838 and 822. Only the authors can say whether the percentages or the counts are wrong.
Second check: another model agreed
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3 minor (typos and the like; most checked by the judge only)
Typo Appendix: institution printed as "Michaels’ Hospital, Toronto:", apparently for St. Michael's Hospital.
- p. 11 Appendix, investigator list
Michaels’ Hospital, Toronto:
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Rests on outside knowledge: the Toronto institution is named St. Michael's Hospital. The page 11 image shows "Michaels’ Hospital, Toronto:" in the middle of a line, with no "St." before it and the apostrophe after the s. Elsewhere the list writes saint names in full, e.g. "St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center".
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo Appendix: the same investigator is spelled "S. Ehrlich" (Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo) and "S. Erhlich" (ICD Complications Committee).
- p. 13 Appendix, Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo
S. Ehrlich, G. Thomas, M. Whalen
- p. 13 Appendix, ICD Complications Committee
S.P. Kutalek, S. Erhlich
Judge's note: The page 13 image shows both spellings. The transposed 'hr'/'rh' and the identical initial point to a misspelling of one name.
Second check: none (judge only)
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Typo Reference 5 gives "Moss A, Hall J, Cannom D, et al.", while reference 17 gives "Moss AJ, Zareba W, Hall WJ, et al."; the author initials are inconsistent.
- p. 13 Reference 5
Moss A, Hall J, Cannom D, et al.
- p. 13 Reference 17
Moss AJ, Zareba W, Hall WJ, et al.
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: Rests on outside knowledge: that 'Hall J' in reference 5 is the same person as 'Hall WJ' in reference 17. The page 13 image confirms both entries as quoted. The other references in the list carry full initials. This is a cosmetic inconsistency.
Second check: none (judge only)