Clinical outcomes of automated versus continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for end-stage kidney disease: protocol of a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: An increasing number of studies comparing automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in clinical outcomes have been published since the publication of a systematic review and meta-analysis including three randomised controlled trials in 2007. We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to explore more clinical outcomes of APD versus CAPD for end-stage kidney disease. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The protocol is conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols guidelines. Three databases—PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library—will be searched comprehensively from inception to 16 June 2022, without language restriction. Studies reporting clinical outcomes comparing APD with CAPD will be included. Two independent reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts and then obtain and assess full texts of potential relevant articles for eligibility following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The methodological quality of included observational studies will be assessed by using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The risk of bias of included randomised controlled studies will be assessed by using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Relative risk for dichotomous outcomes and standard mean difference for continuous outcomes with corresponding 95% CIs will be pooled for summary effects. Cochrane Q test and I(2) values will be used to assess heterogeneity between studies. To assess and explore the source of heterogeneity, subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses will be conducted, and meta-regression, funnel plot and Egger’s test will be performed if there are no less than 10 studies. Analyses will be performed using STATA software, V.13.0 (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas, USA). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval is not applicable as no personal information is collected from patients. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated in relevant academic conferences. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42022311401.