Survival benefits of oral anticoagulants in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is an incurable disease with high mortality. Although most studies recommend anticoagulation treatment for idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), the survival benefits are uncertain. Therefore, the present paper provides a protocol to investigate this issue by a meta-analysis. METHODS: An electronic search will be performed for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies that reported the interested efficacy data (pulmonary arterial pressure and survival advantage) in anticoagulants-treated patients with PAH. Hazard ratios with their confidence intervals will be calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. RESULTS: This study will provide the survival benefits of anticoagulants in PAH patients by pooling the results of individual studies. CONCLUSION: The results will bring about vigorous evidence in this issue and guide both clinical decision-making and future research.