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Colloid Use in the Critically Ill
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
IN RESPONSE:
Drs. Wilkes and Navickis raise both ethical and scientific issues. The topic of publication ethics has been featured recently in a partial revision of the document “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Scientific Publication” (1), which was developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Financial relationships such as employment, stock ownership, and honoraria are still considered the most easily recognized potential conflicts of interest and are often not apparent unless they are specifically declared (1). Disclosure of these relationships is crucial for review articles and editorials because bias can be more difficult to detect in these publications than in reports of original research (2). These guidelines also acknowledge that research sponsored by government and other agencies is subject to influence. Contemporary standards of transparent reporting include reporting both consultant relationships and receipt of project funding.
The meta-analysis by Wilkes and Navickis (3) remains unable to “allay concerns regarding the safety of albumin” for many reasons (4). The 95% CI around the pooled relative risk for death associated with albumin includes a substantial increased risk for death, which is both comparable with the Cochrane meta-analysis (4) and a cause for concern. The data underscore ongoing questions about the risk–benefit and cost–benefit ratios of albumin administration. This uncertainty is directly illustrated by the worldwide launch of further randomized trials reevaluating the effect of albumin and other colloids on morbidity and mortality.
The Editors welcome submissions for possible publication in the Letters section. Authors of letters should:
•Include no more than 300 words of text, three authors, and five references
•Type with double-spacing
•Send three copies of the letter, an authors' form signed by all authors, and a cover letter describing any conflicts of interest related to the contents of the letter.
Letters commenting on an Annals article will be considered if they are received within 6 weeks of the time the article was published. Only some of the letters received can be published. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. Authors will be notified that the letter has been received. If the letter is selected for publication, the author will be notified about 3 weeks before the publication date. Unpublished letters cannot be returned.
Annals welcomes electronically submitted letters.
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