Abstract
In March this year, the editors-in-chief of 18 journals signed a joint statement “regarding published clinical trials conducted without IRB approval by Joachim Boldt”. This statement now appears on their respective journal websites (e.g. www.aaeditor.org/EIC.Joint.Statement.on.Retractions.pdf). The statement includes a list of 88 articles authored or co-authored by Joachim Boldt for which no record of institutional review board (IRB) approval can be found. The signatories indicate that they have already retracted, or will shortly retract these articles from their journals. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care is not included on the list of signatories only because none of the 88 articles were published in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care. However, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care was included in the correspondence leading to the publication of the joint statement.