NICE guidance on CardioQ™ oesophageal Doppler monitoring

Abstract

In this Editorial, the authors may have conveyed the impression that financial support provided by Deltex Medical to various institutions amounted to commercial funding of the specific studies that gave rise to the NICE Guidance. We have been asked by Deltex Medical to clarify that, in fact, only one study of intra-operative Doppler monitoring supporting its use was (partially) funded by Deltex Medical [Gan et al.], and one other funded study [Senagore et al.] that was considered by NICE did not support its use. Further, the study by McKendry et al., whilst funded by Deltex Medical, was in postoperative patients and so did not inform the NICE Guidance. The authors apologise to the investigators concerned and the manufacturers (Deltex Medical) for any misleading impression the Editorial may have given in this regard. They also wish to reiterate their statement in the Editorial, that no aspersions were being cast on any of the studies, and that the propriety of these studies was not being questioned. Furthermore, any inference that Deltex Medical might in any way have improperly influenced the guidance would be wrong.