Efficacy and safety of whole-lung lavage for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is an ultrarare disorder characterised by the accumulation of alveolar surfactant and the dysfunction of alveolar macrophages that results in hypoxemic respiratory failure. Whole-lung lavage (WLL) is currently the primary therapy for PAP. However, systematic evaluation of the clinical efficacy of WLL is lacking. We aim to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing evidence to support WLL for the clinical treatment of PAP. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search the PubMed (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases from inception to December 2021 for observational studies using WLL for the treatment of PAP. Two authors will independently screen the eligible studies, assess the quality of the included papers and extract the required information. Review Manager V.5.4 will be used to perform the meta-analysis. We will evaluate the overall quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. All steps of this protocol will be performed using the Cochrane Handbook for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis statement. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be based on published data. Therefore, ethical approval is not required. We will publish our results in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022306221 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022306221).