CASE STUDY 27.4 IT REALLY IS TRUE ABOUT ASPIRIN

Essay

CASE STUDY 27.4
IT REALLY IS TRUE ABOUT ASPIRIN
For Questions , use the following narrative
Narrative: Case study 27.4 summary
This study was a meta-analysis of clinical trials in which aspirin was used to prevent blood clots.The meta-analysis (covering both aspirin and more expensive anti-platelet drugs) combined the results of 300 trials involving 140,000 patients.Its recommendation: a regime of half a tablet of aspirin a day is valuable for all victims of heart attack and stroke, and other at-risk patients such as angina sufferers and recipients of coronary bypass grafts.The lead researcher was quoted as saying "This is one of the most cost-effective drug interventions one could have in developed countries."

-{Case study 27.4 narrative} When the pool of studies examined was reduced to include only those following any type of surgery, the results were still found to be statistically significant.Yet when the pool of studies was reduced a third time, to include only those studies that followed 'general' surgery (vs.other types of surgery, such as orthopedic surgery), the results were not found to be statistically significant.Does this mean there is no real effect of aspirin for patients following general surgery? Explain.