Treatments effects from randomized trials and propensity score analyses were similar in similar populations in an example from cardiac surgery

Analyses comparing randomized to nonrandomized clinical trials suffer from the fact that the study populations are usually different. We aimed for a comparison of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and propensity score (PS) analyses in similar populations.In a systematic review, we "meta-matched" RCTs and PS analyses that compared the off- and the on-pump technique in coronary artery bypass grafting. "Meta-confounders" were summarized in a...