METHODS

Data sources:

the Cochrane Airways Review Group COPD trials register {March 2003}* (assembled from searches of Medline, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, and CINAHL), bibliographies of relevant studies, and authors.

Study selection and assessment:

randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared methylxanthines (oral theophylline, intravenous aminophylline, or intravenous doxofylline) with placebo for acute exacerbations of COPD; treatment occurred in the emergency department (ED) or immediately after admission to hospital; and patients had confirmed COPD with an exacerbation that required presentation to an ED, acute care setting, or hospital. Studies were assessed for methodological quality using the …