Surgical treatment of pulmonary artery sling and tracheal stenosis with or without tracheoplasty: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) is rare, often with tracheal stenosis. And the postoperative mortality is high. For now, there is no consensus on the tracheoplasty for the patients with PAS and tracheal stenosis. METHODS: Studies involving surgical repair of PAS and tracheal stenosis with and without tracheoplasty were identified by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases until June 5, 2019. The assessed variables included ventilation time, early and late mortality, and symptom at follow-up. A random-effect/fixed-effect model was used to summarize the estimates of the mean difference (MD)/risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: This study will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. CONCLUSION: This study will assess the safety and efficacy of tracheoplasty for patients with PAS and tracheal stenosis, and provide more evidence-based guidance in clinical practice. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42019139788.