Acupuncture and related therapies for treating stable angina pectoris: A protocol of an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Stable angina pectoris (SAP) is a global health challenge. Multiple previous systematic reviews (SRs) have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture and related therapies on SAP. We will carry out a comprehensive overview to map, synthesize, and assess the all the available evidence of acupuncture and related therapies on SAP. METHODS: We will search 7 databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), WanFang Database, the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, MEDLINE. SRs and meta-analyses (MAs) of acupuncture and related therapies on SAP will be screened for eligibility. Systematic reviews, qualification evaluation, data extraction, methodological quality, and evidence quality evaluation will be conducted in pairs. The outcomes of interest include: frequency of angina attack, changes in nitroglycerin use, intensity of anginal pain, depression assessment, changes of the electrocardiogramme (ECG), anxiety assessment, results of the Six-Minute Walk Test (6-MWT), overall effectiveness, the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ), and adverse events. Where appropriate, the evidence will be synthesized based on the outcomes and patient subgroups. RESULTS: This overview will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: This overview is expected to provide a reliable and valuable evidence of acupuncture for treating SAP. ETHICS AND COMMUNICATION: Given that this is an overview of published research, patient consent and ethical approval are not needed. The findings of this study will be disseminated through conference presentations and publication in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020164466.