Sample Design In “Cardiovascular Effects of Intravenous Triiodothyronine in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery” (Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 275, No. 9), the authors explain that patients were assigned to one of three groups: (1) a group treated with triidothyronine, (2) a group treated with normal saline bolus and dopamine, and (3) a placebo group given normal saline.

The authors summarize the sample design as a “prospective, randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled trial.” Describe the meaning of each of those terms in the context of this study.