Valvular surgery for rheumatic heart disease in Africa: a scoping review protocol

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a major health challenge in Africa, where the prevalence is notably high. Valvular surgery is a crucial procedure for managing severe RHD. However, the current state and historical trend of research on this subject in African populations is not well understood. Understanding the scope, subject matter, and quality of the literature on this topic over time is essential to inform future research and clinical practice.

This paper aims to assess the current published literature to evaluate vital outcomes such as surgical outcomes, survival rates, postoperative complications, long-term quality of life, morbidities, mortalities, and barriers to valve surgery for patients with RHD in Africa.

This protocol adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). An extensive search will be conducted across different databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online. Studies will be identified through keyword searches and will be reviewed against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria by two reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving any discrepancies. A narrative synthesis will be conducted to describe the findings.

The findings from this scoping review will provide an understanding of the current literature on valvular surgery for RHD in African contexts. This will help guide future research directions in this field.