Femi-Lawal Victor Oluwafemi, Effiom Victory B, James Michael Anayo, Bill-Smith Anyinkeng Achanga, Ekpenyong Joy Nsa, Nwajei Ekene, Patel Shubh K, An Kevin R, Okonta Kelechi E
Department of Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Research Division, Association of Future African Cardiothoracic Surgeons, Yaounde, Cameroon.
Int J Surg Protoc. 2025 Mar 20;29(2):26-29. doi: 10.1097/SP9.0000000000000039. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remains a major health challenge in Africa, where the prevalence is notably high. Valvular surgery is a crucial procedure for managing severe RHD. However, the current state and historical trend of research on this subject in African populations is not well understood. Understanding the scope, subject matter, and quality of the literature on this topic over time is essential to inform future research and clinical practice.
This paper aims to assess the current published literature to evaluate vital outcomes such as surgical outcomes, survival rates, postoperative complications, long-term quality of life, morbidities, mortalities, and barriers to valve surgery for patients with RHD in Africa.
This protocol adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). An extensive search will be conducted across different databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online. Studies will be identified through keyword searches and will be reviewed against predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria by two reviewers, with a third reviewer resolving any discrepancies. A narrative synthesis will be conducted to describe the findings.
The findings from this scoping review will provide an understanding of the current literature on valvular surgery for RHD in African contexts. This will help guide future research directions in this field.
风湿性心脏病（RHD）在非洲仍然是一项重大的健康挑战，其患病率显著较高。瓣膜手术是治疗严重RHD的关键程序。然而，非洲人群中关于该主题的研究现状和历史趋势尚不清楚。了解该主题文献随时间的范围、主题和质量对于为未来的研究和临床实践提供信息至关重要。
本文旨在评估当前已发表的文献，以评估非洲RHD患者的重要结局，如手术结局、生存率、术后并发症、长期生活质量、发病率、死亡率以及瓣膜手术的障碍。
本方案遵循系统评价和Meta分析扩展版的范围综述报告规范（PRISMA-ScR）。将在不同数据库中进行广泛检索，包括PubMed、Scopus、科学网、Cochrane图书馆、非洲医学索引和非洲在线期刊。通过关键词搜索识别研究，并由两名评审员根据预先定义的纳入和排除标准进行评审，第三名评审员解决任何差异。将进行叙述性综合以描述研究结果。
本次范围综述的结果将有助于了解非洲背景下RHD瓣膜手术的当前文献。这将有助于指导该领域未来的研究方向。
