The efficacy and safety of thrombolytic agents for patients with cerebral infarction: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Cerebral infarction is a commonly dangerous disease also with high morbidity and mortality. Thrombolytic agent is an effective method to treat it, but their relative efficacy and safety are unclear. A network meta-analysis (NMA) will be conducted to resolve this urgent problem. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library will be systematically search from their inception to November 2018. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be included this NMA and their risk of bias will be assessed using Cochrane handbook tool. The outcomes of efficacy and safety including: Modified Rankin Scale scores, reperfusion rate, incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and all-cause mortality. A network meta-analysis will be performed using R x64 3.5.1 software and pairwise meta-analysis will be conducted using Stata 12.0 software (Stata Corp., College Station, Texas). Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) will be used to assess quality of outcomes. RESULTS: The results of NMA will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. CONCLUSION: The NMA will provide a comprehensive evidence summary on thrombolytic agents for patients with cerebral infarction.