Physical activity and risk of sudden cardiac death in individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Regular physical exercise is recommended for lowering the risk of coronary events and all-cause mortality. However, there is a variety of exercise options, and their relative effectiveness and hierarchy remain unclear. Herein, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol that aims to compare the impact of different types of physical activity on the risk of sudden cardiac death. Methods and analysis English language articles reporting on randomized controlled trials will be searched in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PubMed databases by two reviewers. A snowball approach will be used for literature retrieval. Reviewers will independently screen the literature, extract data, evaluate study quality and risk of bias, and perform a meta-analysis. In the presence of heterogeneity, a random effects model will be used for meta-analysis; otherwise, a fixed effect model will be used. Ethics and dissemination This study is a secondary analysis and does not require ethical review. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, journals, and academic conferences and other forms of exchange. Systematic review registration number INPLASY202140033.