Use of Patch Augmentation in Rotator Cuff Repair: A Systematic Review Protocol

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Rotator cuff tears are common, impacting shoulder function and quality of life.
• Surgical repair aims to restore function, with graft augmentation being explored to enhance healing.
• The comparative effectiveness of grafts versus standard repair and different graft types remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on graft use in rotator cuff repair.
• To compare the effectiveness of graft-reinforced repair versus standard repair.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different types of graft materials for rotator cuff repair.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs following Cochrane and PRISMA-P guidelines.
• Electronic searches in MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, and SciELO, supplemented by gray literature.
• Assessment of study characteristics, participant data, interventions, and outcomes, including healing and shoulder function.

Main Results:

• Primary outcomes: rotator cuff healing rates and shoulder functional assessments.
• Secondary outcomes: pain, range of motion, adverse events, quality of life, and cost-effectiveness.
• Risk of bias assessed using RoB 2.0; certainty of evidence evaluated with GRADE.

Conclusions:

• Consolidation of current evidence on the efficacy of graft reinforcement in rotator cuff repair.
• Informing clinical decision-making regarding the use of grafts in surgical repair.
• The review is registered with PROSPERO (1106892).