Efficacy and safety of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills combined with modern medicine for coronary heart disease with ischemic heart failure: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Qishen Yiqi dropping pills combined with modern medicine have been widely used as a treatment for coronary heart disease with ischemic heart failure. Currently, there have been no robust studies addressing the efficacy and safety of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills combined with modern medicine for coronary heart disease with ischemic heart failure. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis are conducted to fill in the gaps mentioned above. Methods: This systematic review was conducted and reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Relevant studies published from inception to April 17, 2023, in the 5 electronic databases: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, and the Wanfang database were comprehensively searched. Weighted mean difference was used as the effect size for the continuous variables. Pooled odd ratios are presented if the results are binary variables. Additionally, we performed subgroup and sensitivity analyses to examine the source of heterogeneity. The funnel plot and the Egger test were used to estimate publication bias. Results: This meta-analysis included 46 studies involving 5843 participants. There is a significant difference in clinical efficacy, the 6-minute walk test (weighted mean difference = 50.10; 95% CI 28.19 to 72.02; I2 = 98.9%, P = .000), the indexes of ultrasonic cardiogram, blood biochemical indexes, and adverse effects (odds ratios = 0.46; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.75; I2 = 35.9%, P = .142). The sensitivity analysis and publication bias have demonstrated the robustness of the results ( P = .702). Conclusion: Qishen Yiqi dropping pills combined with modern medicine could significantly improve clinical efficacy without incasement adverse effects. Further studies are required to identify the more comprise efficacy and safety results.