Efficacy and Safety of Yiqi Traditional Chinese Medicine Injections for Chronic Pulmonary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review With Pairwise Meta-Analyses and Indirect Comparisons

Hongyi Yue, Jinxuan Chai, Hehe Liao, Yunfei Jia, Pingyi Wang

https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.70333 

Abstract

In this study, we compared the clinical efficacy and safety of various Yiqi Chinese medicine injections in chronic pulmonary heart disease (CPHD) through pairwise meta-analyses and indirect comparisons within a systematic review. We searched seven databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of the protective effects of Yiqi Chinese medicine injections combined with standard care on CPHD. The literature search period extended from the establishment of the database to June 30, 2025. RevMan 5.4.1 and Stata 14.0 were used for quality assessment, pairwise meta-analyses, and indirect comparisons. This study incorporated a total of 72 articles, which collectively involved 5836 patients and examined six distinct types of traditional Chinese medicine injections. The results indicated that the adjuvant conventional treatments of Shenfu, Shenmai, Huangqi, Shengmai, Xinmailong, and Shenqi Fuzheng injections were more effective than conventional treatment alone (p < 0.05) in enhancing clinical efficacy. Furthermore, based on limited evidence, Shenqi Fuzheng Injection may have potential benefits, but this finding is highly uncertain (surface under the cumulative ranking [SUCRA] = 79.7%). In addition, Shenqi Fuzheng injection also had a good effect on improving partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) (SUCRA = 81.9%) and partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) (SUCRA = 79.7%). On the basis of conventional treatment, the combination of the six traditional Chinese medicine injections mentioned above can significantly enhance the clinical efficacy rate. Compared with other injections, Shenqi Fuzheng injection may have benefits, but this finding is highly uncertain.

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