ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study will investigate the efficacy and safety of shoulder arthroscopic surgery (SAS) for patients with rotator cuff injury (RCI). METHODS: We will systematically search for randomized controlled trials in the electronic databases of PUBMED, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All above databases will be searched from their beginning to March 1, 2020 without language restrictions. Two reviewers will independently scan retrieved records, evaluate study quality and extract data. If possible, we will synthesize the data and conduct a meta-analysis by RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: This systematic review will summarize the most recent evidence to explore the efficacy and safety of SAS for patients with RCI. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study will help to provide a genuine understanding of perspective from a scientific basis on the efficacy and safety of SAS for patients with RCI. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42020170009.