Running Findings Time Trends with the
Nicardipine sample setting and
LB findings domain generates the report shown below.
The Report contains the following sections:
The Treatment Time Trends section contains the following elements:
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A set of Treatment Level Time Trend Plots
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If findings test category (xxCAT) exists (where
xx represents the two-letter domain abbreviation -- for example,
LB), these plots are first ordered by
xxCAT. Next, if findings test subcategory (
xxSCAT) exists, plots are secondarily ordered by
xxSCAT. If
xxCAT is missing, plots are ordered by test short name (
xxTESTCD), which is required. Findings tests with a missing
xxCAT value are assigned to the “
OTHER” category.
Note: Findings tests with a missing numeric result (
xxSTRESN), as well as those taken on only one day, are excluded from these plots.
Tip: You can collapse categories (and simultaneously exclude them from any report that you create) by clicking on the
gray triangles located to the left of the category labels.
Each plot displays the means of the measurements taken across time for each treatment
arm in a study for a quantitative findings test. The value of
xxTEST (where
xx represents the two-letter domain abbreviation -- for example,
LB) is displayed in the outline box for each plot, and the test short name (
xxTESTCD) is displayed along with the measurement units (where applicable) on the
Y axis. The
Y axis can represent the observed test result, the change from baseline, percent change from baseline, or percent of baseline, depending on the selection made for the
Plot findings measurements as: parameter on the report
dialog. Time, as either Study Day, Study Week, or Visit, is plotted on the
X axis (according to your
Time Scale selection).
Time trend lines connect the points of measurement; each marker point represents the average findings measurement for subjects belonging to that treatment arm at the measured time point.
The Y axis can optionally be displayed with
log scaling (this is very useful for interpreting laboratory findings). In addition, you can choose to compute and show
standard error bars at each measured time point for each treatment group. These standard error bars can be helpful in visualizing significantly different measurements for a findings test at certain time points. Note that standard error calculations depend heavily on the number of measured subjects at a specific time point. These plotting options are found on the
Output tab of the report dialog.
The time trend lines are interactive. Selecting a line selects all subjects belonging to the treatment group the selected line represents. You can then use the down buttons to profile, cluster, or show these subjects or to create a subject filter to do further analysis only with the selection of subjects. Selecting a treatment time trend line also selects and highlights all the individuals' subject time trend lines on the accompanying
Subject Time Trends section that is part of the output from this report.
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A set of Subject Level Time Trends Plots also known as spaghetti plots
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If findings test category (xxCAT) exists (where
xx represents the two-letter domain abbreviation -- for example,
LB), these plots are first ordered by
xxCAT. Next, if findings test subcategory (
xxSCAT) exists, plots are secondarily ordered by
xxSCAT. If
xxCAT is missing, plots are ordered by test short name (
xxTESTCD), which is required. Findings tests with a missing
xxCAT value are assigned to the “
OTHER” category.
Note: Findings tests with a missing numeric result (
xxSTRESN), as well as those taken on only one day, are excluded from these plots.
Tip: You can collapse categories (and simultaneously exclude them from any report that you create) by clicking on the
gray triangles located to the left of the category labels.
Each plot displays the measurements taken across time for each subject in a study for a quantitative findings test. The value of xxTEST is displayed in the outline box for each plot and the test short name (
xxTESTCD) is displayed along with the measurement units (where applicable) on the
Y axis. The
Y axis can represent the observed test result, the change from baseline, percent change from baseline, or percent of baseline, depending on the selection made for the
Plot findings measurements as: parameter on the report
dialog. Time, as either Study Day, Study Week, or Visit, is plotted on the
X axis (according to your
Time Scale selection). Time trend lines connect the points of measurement; each marker point represents the findings measurement for each subject at the measured time point. If multiple measurements were taken for a subject on the same Study Day, Study Week, or Visit, the point represents the
mean measurement for that subject.
The Y axis can optionally be displayed with
log scaling (this is very useful for interpreting laboratory findings). For the
LB domain, you can also choose to draw
reference limits by checking the
Show ULN and LLN reference lines for lab tests option on the dialog. If there are multiple reference limits for a lab test, the maximum ULN (as measured by
LBSTNRHI) and the minimum LLN (
LBSTNRLO) are displayed.
The time trend lines are interactive. Selecting a line selects that subject. You can then use the down buttons to profile, cluster, or show selected subjects, or create a subject filter to do further analysis only with the selection of subjects.
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Show Subjects: Select subjects and click to open the ADSL (or DM if ADSL is unavailable) of selected subjects.
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Demographic Counts: Select subjects and click to create a data set of USUBJIDs, which subsets all subsequently run reports to those selected subjects. The currently available filter data set can be applied by selecting Demographic Counts in any report dialog.
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Click the Options arrow to reopen the completed report dialog used to generate this output.
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Use the Findings Domain to Analyze option to specify whether to plot the distribution of measurements from either the Electrocardiogram (
EG), Laboratory (
LB), or Vital Signs (
VS) findings domains. LB is selected by default.
You can use the Findings Domain Tests for Analysis option to plot the distributions of one or more selected findings tests. Leaving the field blank (the default selection) plots the distributions for all available findings tests.
Available variables include Planned, which is selected when the treatments patients received exactly match what was planned and
Actual, which is selected when treatment deviates from what was planned.
You can also specify a variable other than the ARM or
TRTxxP (planned treatment) or
ACTARM or
TRTxxA (actual treatment) from the CDISC models as a surrogate variable to serve as a comparator. Finally, you can select
None to plot the data without segregating it by a treatment variable.
Use the Plot findings measurements as: option to specify how you want to display the findings results in the plots.
Selecting LLN normalizes the data to the lower limit of the expected normal range and is best used when you expect the values to fall below the normal. Normalized values less than one are considered to be lower than normal.
Selecting ULN normalizes the data to the upper limit of the expected normal range and is best used when you expect the values to exceed the normal range. Normalized values greater than one are considered to be higher than normal.
Selecting Geometric normalizes the data such that the lower limit of the expected normal range is set to -1 and the upper limit of the expected normal range is set to +1. This method is best used when there is no expectations of where the values might fall. Normalized values less than -1 are considered to be lower than normal while values greater that +1 are higher than normal.
Note: These options are available only when
LB is the specified domain.
If there is a supplemental domain (SUPPXX) associated with your study, you can opt to merge the non-standard data contained therein into your data.
By default, time is measured by visits. However, you can change the Time Scale to measure time in either weeks or days. This option is useful for assessing report graphics for exceptionally long studies.
Check the Incorporate Findings Time Points in plots option to detect and incorporate time points in the Findings Time Trends Plots. When this option is checked, time points (as determined by the presence of the
xxTPT and/or
xxTPTNUM variables) within Visits are plotted and/or analyzed.
To establish a baseline measurement for each finding, you must specify the time period (usually prior to day one of the study) and whether to use on or more than one measurement. Use the Baseline Time Window option to specify the time period during which baseline measurements are taken and the
Calculate baseline as: option to use the last pre-dose measurement or the mean of all the measurements taken during the baseline time window as the baseline measurement.
Use the Calculate Visit-matched baseline measurements option to detect and calculate baseline measurements at each visit to compute visit-matched baseline change measurements
Use the Starting Time Value option to specify the first time point to be plotted. Because the first values to be plotted are normally measured before the start of the trial (at time equals 0), this value is typically negative. This value specified here indexes the number of days or weeks before the trial starts, depending on your selection for the
Time Scale option. A value of -3 days is specified by default.
Use the Ending Time Value option to specify the last time point to be plotted, relative to 0, which is the start of the trial. Because the last values to be plotted are normally measured after the start of the trial (at time equals 0), this value is always positive. This value specified here indexes the number of days or weeks after the trial starts, depending on your selection for the
Time Scale option. A value of 100 days is specified by default.
You have some latitude in specifying the format of the output plots. You can Show standard error bars for treatment group time trends to display a visual indicator of significant differences in the laboratory findings results. You can
Use log scaling to display findings test measurements; this option is especially useful where laboratory findings range over a very large scale. You can use the
Show ULN and LLN reference lines for lab tests option to display reference lines to enable rapid identification of laboratory findings that fall outside of normal limits.
Check the Overlay visits when treatment crossover is detected option to overlay visits when treatment crossover is detected for subjects. This overlays the plots so that visit number corresponds the visit on treatment rather than the absolute visit number.
Use the Pool subjects in average time trend plots when treatment crossover is detected option to pool subjects across treatment periods in the average time trend plots when a treatment crossover is detected. This results in the display of the average time trend plots for each unique treatment value across all treatment periods.