Steroids plus acetic acid (S+AA) or steroids plus antibiotics (S+AB) v acetic acid (AA) for acute otitis externa*
| Outcomes | Comparisons | Event rates | RBI (95% CI) | NNT (CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Abbreviations defined in glossary; RBI, RRR, NNT, and CI calculated from data in article using odds ratios adjusted for differences at baseline. | ||||
| †Based on 172 patients who were symptom free at day 21. | ||||
| Cure rate at 14 days | S+AA v AA | 75% v 57% | 33% (4 to 54) | 6 (4 to 44) |
| S+AB v AA | 82% v 57% | 44% (19 to 60) | 4 (3 to 10) | |
| Cure rate at 21 days | S+AA v AA | 89% v 62% | 45% (23 to 54) | 4 (3 to 7) |
| S+AB v AA | 86% v 62% | 39% (19 to 51) | 5 (4 to 9) | |
| RRR (CI) | NNT (CI) | |||
| Recurrence at 21–42 days† | S+AA v AA | 26% v 45% | 56% (19 to 83) | 4 (3 to 12) |
| S+AB v AA | 21% v 45% | 45% (0 to 69) | Not significant | |
