Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury: A protocol for preclinical systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MIRI) is 1 of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide in the cardiovascular diseases. Acupuncture has been widely applied in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in recent years. This systematic review protocol aims to provide the methods for evaluating the efficacy of Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment in animal models of MIRI. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, as well as the Chinese databases such as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, China Biology Medicine Database and WanFang Database will be searched from inception to November 2019. The outcome measures were myocardial infarct size, the level of ST-segment elevation, left ventricular ejection fraction, shortening fraction, arrhythmia score, cardiac enzymes, and cardiac troponin. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for the data synthesis and the quality of each study will be assessed independently by using the Collaborative Approach To Meta-Analysis And Review Of Animal Data From Experimental Studies checklist with minor modification. RESULTS: This review will provide a high-quality synthesis of Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment for MIRI in animal models CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review will provide conclusive evidence for whether Neiguan (PC6)-based acupuncture pretreatment is an effective intervention in animal models of MIRI. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020175144.