ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a systemic infectious inflammatory response syndrome, which can release a large number of inflammatory mediators in serum, resulting in organ dysfunction. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the reports of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of sepsis in recent years, providing evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The databases of PubMed, Chinese Medical Literature (CBM), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Medline, and Web of Science were searched for clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to "Chinese traditional medicine" and "Sepsis" published from January 2015 to August 2021. After screening qualified articles, RevMan 5.4 software was used to evaluate the bias of included studies and perform meta-analysis. RESULTS: Finally, 8 articles were retrieved and screened, and a total of 862 patients entered the study. The results of meta-analysis showed that serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were lower in sepsis patients after TCM treatment [mean difference (MD) =-20.70; 95% confidence interval (CI): -33.68 to -7.73; P=0.002]; tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were lower (MD =-4.17; 95% CI: -5.98 to -2.37; P<0.00001); acute physiological assessment and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II scores were lower (MD =-2.92; 95% CI: -3.50 to -2.35; P<0.00001); mortality was lower [odds ratio (OR) =0.49; 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.74; P=0.0006]; and effective rate was higher (OR =3.43; 95% CI: 1.72 to 6.85; P=0.0005). DISCUSSION: On the basis of traditional western medicine treatment of sepsis, the addition of TCM treatment can effectively reduce the serum inflammatory response, improve the patient's immunity, and improve treatment efficacy.
