13
Warfarin dose in this study seems very similar in outcomes but does not meet non inferiority. Why? (lemmy.world)
submitted 7 months ago by rowinxavier@lemmy.world to c/askscience@lemmy.world
1 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This study is talking about two groups, one with a target INR of 2.0-2.5 and the other with a target INR of 2.5-3.5. The higher dose is the current standard dose.

The outcomes were extremely close group to group and it looks like the Confidence Interval was greater than 1.5%, so the study was not adequately powered to have confidence of non inferiority. Is that interpretation correct? Obviously the difference in the groups was not large, but it reads to me that they couldn't be sure it was close enough to not be worse with the lower dose, therefore they can't eliminate the possibility that low dose treatment is more dangerous than current dose? If so, would they do another study or would that basically amount to p-hacking? Further thoughts are appreciated.

top 1 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] mycabbages@mander.xyz 1 points 7 months ago

I think your interpretation is correct, no conclusion can be drawn from the results of this study.

If a similar study were repeated and adequately powered, I wouldn't consider it p-hacking. The larger sample should only decrease the uncertainty in the primary outcome. P-hacking would be like if they set out to measure like 20 different outcomes to see if some turn out to be statistically significant by pure chance.

As an aside, I think it might be hard to gather enough participants for an adequately powered study given how close the outcomes were in this study. I'm no cardiac surgeon, but I think mechanical heart valves are generally less favored compared with bioprosthetics. Furthermore, the addition of aspirin to warfarin may cut down the number of participants as well, as aspirin is not routinely recommended.

this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024
13 points (100.0% liked)

Ask Science

11866 readers
6 users here now

Ask a science question, get a science answer.

Community Rules

Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.

Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.

Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.

Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.

Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.

Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.

Rule 7: Report violations.Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.

Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.

Rule 9: Source required for answers.Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.

By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.

We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
sabbah@lemmy.world
AradFort@lemmy.world
ken_cleanairsystems@lemmy.sdf.org
count_of_monte_carlo@lemmy.world