Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicines after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Background: PCI is the primary treatment for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). However, many patients experience restenosis within 6 months after PCI. Chinese herbal medicines are widely used in patients after PCI. Clinical studies have found that Chinese herbal medicines may prevent restenosis. Methods: Eight databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the use of Chinese herbal medicines after PCI. The search period was from the date of database inception to June 2017. We used the Cochrane risk of bias tool to estimate the methodological quality of the studies. The primary outcome was the restenosis rate, and secondary outcomes were the angina recurrence rate and major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). Data were analyzed with RevMan 5.3, and the quality of evidence was assessed with the GRAD approach. Results: Eleven RCTs with a total of 1,383 patients were included. The major outcome was the restenosis rate, and the results showed a significant effect of Chinese herbal medicines on reduction in the rate of restenosis (risk ratio [RR] = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.35-0.60, p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%). Chinese herbal medicine treatment also decreased the angina recurrence rate (RR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29-0.57, p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%). The results revealed a lower rate of MACEs in the Chinese medicine group than in the control group (RR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.34-0.71, p = 0.0001, I2 = 0%). We evaluated the quality of evidence with the GRADE system; the quality of evidence for the restenosis rate and angina was low, and the quality of evidence for MACEs was estimated to be moderate. Conclusion: According to existing research evidence, the use of Chinese herbal medicines may reduce the incidence of MACEs. Chinese herbal medicines may reduce restenosis and angina recurrence rates after PCI, but the evidence is limited.
Keywords: Chinese herbal medicine; coronary restenosis; meta-analysis; percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).