A Systematic Review of Tongxinluo Capsule for Acute Ischaemic Stroke

Objective To evaluate efficacy and safety of tongxinluo capsule for acute ischaemic stroke. Methods Randomized controlled trails(RCTs) of tongxinluo capsule for acute ischaemic stroke were identified,eligible studies were included,the methodological quality of inclusive trails was assessed by Jadad scale.Heterogeneity test,Meta-analysis,funnel plot analysis and sensitivity analysis were used to analyse the related data. Results Ten RCTs were included with all trails of low methodological quality.Tongxinluo capsule vs no-treatment control: Meta-analysis indicated that relative risk(RR) of overall effective rate was 1.24 [99%CI (1.12,1.38)];weighted mean difference(WMD) of improving neurological impairment was-6.74 [99%CI(-12.59,-0.88)]. Conclusions This systematic review showed that tongxinluo capsule is effective and safe for acute ischaemic stroke.However,the evidence is not strong due to the general low methodological quality.To determinately evaluate efficacy and safety of tongxinluo capsule for acute ischaemic stroke,more rationally designed and strictly executed RCTs with large samples are necessary.