Comparative study of xuesaitong injection and compound injection in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction: a meta-analysis

Objective This study was conducted to systematically evaluate the clinical effectiveness of xuesaitong injection (XST) and compound salvia miltiorrhizae injection (CSM) in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Methods We searched several databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using XST and CSM for the treatment of ACI. Two researchers independently selected the RCTs and extracted information. The quality of included RCTs was evaluated, and then data were analyzed using RevMan5.3 and STATA 12.0 software. Results Twenty-three RCTs that enrolled 2101 participants were included in this study. A meta-analysis showed that XST with routine Western medicine (WM) can achieve a better effect than CSM with WM for the total effective rate ( RR = 1.22, 95% CI : 1.18–1.27). In addition, XST combined with WM could improve neurological impairment ( MD = −4.65, 95% CI : −7.85 – −1.44) and hemorheological parameters. XST decreased the whole blood high shear viscosity, whole blood low shear viscosity, plasma viscosity, and plasma fibrinogen. Conclusions For treating ACI, XST combined with WM was more effective than CSM with WM. However, more evidence is needed to support the safety of XST and CSM