[Network Meta-analysis of comparative efficacy of Chinese medicine injections for dilated cardiomyopathy]

Bayesian network Meta-analysis was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of different Chinese medicine injections for dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM). CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, EMbase, Cochrane Library, ProQuest, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov were searched for the randomized controlled trial(RCT) from the inception to January 2024. The quality of the included RCT was evaluated using the Cochrane's risk of bias assessment tool, and the quality of evidence for outcomes was assessed by GRADE. Stata 16.0 and RevMan 5.4 softwares were used for Meta-analysis. A total of 57 RCTs involving 4 812 subjects, 6 Chinese medicine injections and 6 outcome indicators were included. Bayesian network Meta-analysis indicated that:(1) In terms of increasing clinical total effectiveness rate, except Shenqi Fuzheng Injection + conventional western medicine, other 5 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone, and Xinmailong Injection + conventional western medicine had the best effect.(2) In terms of improving left ventricular ejection fraction, all of the 6 Chinese medicine injections combined with conventional western medicine were superior to conventional western medicine alone, and Shengmai Injection + conventional western medicine had the highest likelihood of being the best intervention.(3) On account of reducing left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, Shenfu Injection + conventional western medicine, Shenmai Injection + conventional western medicine, Huangqi Injection + conventional western medicine, and Xinmailong Injection + conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone except Shengmai Injection + conventional western medicine, and Huangqi Injection + conventional western medicine had the highest probability of being the best treatment.(4) In terms of decreasing BNP, Huangqi Injection + conventional western medicine, Shenfu Injection + conventional western medicine, and Shenmai Injection + conventional western medicine were better than conventional western medicine alone, and Huangqi Injection + conventional western medicine had the highest likelihood of being the best treatment.(5) Considering the improvement in 6-min walk test, Shenmai Injection + conventional western medicine were superior to conventional western medicine alone.(6) In the case of improving cardiac output, Shenmai Injection + conventional western medicine, Shengmai Injection + conventional western medicine, Xinmailong Injection + conventional western medicine, and Shenqi Fuzheng Injection + conventional western medicine outperformed conventional western medicine alone except Shenfu Injection + conventional western medicine, thereinto, Shenmai Injection + conventional western medicine might be the optimal choice for increasing cardiac output level.(7) For safety, no statistically significant difference in adverse events was recorded between the experimental group and the control group(P=0.24). Bayesian network Meta-analysis showed that the addition of Chinese medicine injections to conventional western medicine exerted a more positive effect for DCM, and had advantages in alleviating clinical symptoms and improving cardiac function. However, due to the overall low quality of the included articles, the low inclusion of certain Chinese medicine injections, and the lack of direct comparison between different Chinese medicine injections, the results need to be further confirmed.