Pharmacological intervention for ambulatory surgery: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: We aim to perform a network meta-analysis (NMA) to quantify and rank-order the efficacy and safety of analgesic medications for ambulatory surgery. METHODS: We will search MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Google Scholar databases to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of analgesics, beginning from their inception to February 2020. The primary endpoints will be pain score measured using a visual analog scale (VAS) or a numerical rating scale (NRS) at 3 different time points: Phase I recovery, phase II recovery, and recovery at home. Adverse events, including nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, arrhythmia, and respiratory depression, will be also assessed. We will conduct NMA and use surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) values and rankograms to present the hierarchy of analgesic medication. A comparison-adjusted funnel plot will be used to assess the presence of small study effects. The quality of the included studies will be assessed using the risk of bias tool 2.0. All statistical analyses will be performed using Stata SE version 15.0. RESULTS: The results of this systematic review and NMA will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and NMA will provide comprehensive and convincing evidence regarding analgesic medication for pain after ambulatory surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018100000.