Drug-coated balloon versus drug-eluting stent in acute myocardial infarction A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Previous studies comparing the published literature on drug-eluting stents (DES) and drug-coated balloon (DCB) have drawn divergent conclusions, as these studies are limited by small sample sizes. To overcome these limitations, we thus conducted a high-quality systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of DCB versus DES for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It was hypothesized that DCB use at the AMI is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Methods: The electronic databases Embase, Medline, PubMed, and Cinahl were searched from the earliest available date until August 2021. Study included in our study had to meet all of the following inclusion criteria: all randomized controlled trials to assess the efficacy and safety of DES versus DCB in the treatment of AMI were considered eligible for analysis; participants received DCB or DES; reporting the available data on cardiac death, all-cause death, myocardial infarction, target lesion revascularization, target vessel revascularization, major adverse cardiac events, and stent thrombosis. Review Manager Software (v 5.3; Cochrane Collaboration) was used for the meta-analysis. Two of us independently assessed the risk of bias in the included studies using parameters defined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions criteria. Results: It was hypothesized that DCB use at the AMI is associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/AVTYW.