In a study with new treatment, there were reported 36 death/treatment failures out of sample of 120.With a new treatment, 26 treatment failure were reported from a sample size of 130. How many patients should be treated to avert 1 death?
**Core Concept**
The question tests the understanding of the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one adverse outcome, which is a measure of the effectiveness of a treatment. NNT is calculated by dividing the number of patients needed to prevent one event by the number of events prevented.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
To calculate the NNT, we need to first calculate the absolute risk reduction (ARR) between the two treatment groups. The ARR is the difference in risk between the control group and the treatment group. In this case, the control group had 36 deaths out of 120, and the treatment group had 26 deaths out of 130. The ARR can be calculated as follows:
ARR = (Risk in control group - Risk in treatment group)
First, we need to calculate the risk in each group:
Risk in control group = 36 deaths / 120 = 0.3
Risk in treatment group = 26 deaths / 130 = 0.2
ARR = 0.3 - 0.2 = 0.1
The NNT can be calculated as the reciprocal of the ARR:
NNT = 1 / ARR
= 1 / 0.1
= 10
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** This option is not a numerical value, and it's unclear what it represents.
**Option B:** This option is also not a numerical value, and it's unclear what it represents.
**Option C:** This option is a numerical value, but it's not the correct answer. The correct NNT is 10, not 5.
**Option D:** This option is a numerical value, but it's not the correct answer. The correct NNT is 10, not 20.
**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
Remember that the NNT is a measure of the effectiveness of a treatment, and a lower NNT indicates a more effective treatment. In this case, the treatment is effective in preventing 10 deaths out of 100 patients.
**Correct Answer:** **C**. 50