In the Migraine Intervention for Star-Flex Technology (MIST) trial the mist seems to be making it difficult for me to understand the study results. The original trial was supposed to examine the effects of closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) on migrain headache. However all of the conflict of interest, alleged misrepresentation of data, authors who pulled out because they saw distortions of study results, etc etc etc, is giving me a headache.
Now, the editors of Circulation are going to have to take the walk of shame (which, briefly, is when you are late picking up your kid, and they have to walk out to the street to wait for you) which does not include Mrs. Bremner who informs us that she is only editor of one of the Circulation “sub” journals. And I of course am not the editor of anything cuz I, well, hmm. Don’t know.
The title of this blog No Investigator Given Full Set of the Data actually comes from a lawyer for the company NMT that makes the device, which of course represents a total violation of publication rules and ethics, so I guess they are just saying throw a wad of cash at doctors and sign our co-authorship declaration forms.
As for the particulars of this case which have been reported here on the Scientific Misconduct blog of Aubrey Blumsohn as well as theheart.org, it looks like they may have changed the readings of the cardiac echos after the fact, and that two of the authors had ownership interests in NMT Medical the manufacturers of the device in the study. But hey, what me worry, right? Isn’t capitalism great?
Too bad the success rate of the procedure was probably less than a third, unlike the greater than 90% claimed in the paper.
Are there any doctors out there who still claim to be scientists over their roles as entrepreneurs?
This might be completely tangential, but MIST in German means “Bullshit” ….
[snorts of laughter...]
Hi Doug, I love your blog site. You should consider moving to San Antonio where your quirky humor will be appreciated. Warm regards,
Pedro