Effectiveness of electrical stimulation for postoperative pain in patients with osteosarcoma: A systematic review protocol of clinical controlled trial

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of electrical stimulation (ES) for postoperative pain (PPP) in patients with osteosarcoma systematically. METHODS: We will systematically search the following electronic databases from inception to the May 1, 2019: MEDILINE, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Web of Science, Springer, and CNKI without language restrictions. All literatures of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-controlled studies (CCSs) of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma will be included. RevMan 5.3 software (Cochrane Community; London, UK) and STATA 15.0 software (StataCorp; College Station) will be used for statistical analysis. Cochrane risk of bias will be used for methodological quality assessment for RCTs and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale will be utilized for CCSs. RESULTS: This study will assess the clinical effectiveness and safety of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma through assessing primary outcome of pain intensity and secondary outcomes of frequency of rescue analgesic use, cumulative morphine consumption, quality of recovery, as well as adverse events. CONCLUSION: This study will provide latest evidence on effectiveness and safety of ES for PPP in patients with osteosarcoma, and may also provide guidance for both clinician and further studies. DISSEMINATION AND ETHICS: This study does not require ethical approval, because it will not analyze the individual patient data. Its results are expected to be published in peer-reviewed journals. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42019135790.