{ "abstract": "Background: Heart failure (HF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite advances in conventional therapy. Qili Qiangxin Capsule (QLQX) has been widely used as an adjunctive treatment for HF in China, but its efficacy and safety in patients with HF after AMI require further evaluation.\n\nMethods: Seven databases were searched from their inception to January 2026. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing QLQX plus conventional Western medicine (WM) with WM alone were included. The primary outcome was N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Secondary outcomes included left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), clinical response rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), quality of life, all-cause mortality, heart failure-related hospitalisation, and adverse events. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4.\n\nResults: A total of 16 RCTs involving 1391 participants were included. Compared with WM alone, QLQX plus WM was associated with greater reductions in NT-proBNP, BNP, LVEDD, LVESD, and hs-CRP, and improving LVEF, quality of life and the clinical response rate. No statistical differences were observed in LVEDV, all-cause mortality, and adverse events. Heart failure-related hospitalisation was not reported in any included study. The certainty of evidence for all outcomes was rated as low or very low according to the GRADE approach.\n\nConclusion: QLQX plus conventional WM was associated with improvements in several surrogate and short-term clinical outcomes in patients with HF after AMI. However, the certainty of evidence was low or very low, and data on mortality and heart failure-related hospitalisation were insufficient. The current evidence is therefore inadequate to determine whether QLQX improves long-term clinical prognosis. Further high-quality RCTs with longer follow-up and clinically important endpoints are needed.\n\nSystematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420261277047 , identifier CRD420261277047.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine", "School of Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Cardiovascular Disease Center, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Science and Technology Department, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Institute of Health and Social Care, London South Bank University", "Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Sichuan Provincial Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Clinical Study Center, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Centre for Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine", "Shandong Big Data Research Association" ], "article_type": "systematic review", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 11, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Jun-Hong Yu" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Hao-Yu Yu" }, { "affs": [ 1 ], "name": "Jun-Cheng Zhang" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Zhao-Yang Chen" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Cong Wang" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "You-Qi Wu" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Yi-Fei Wang" }, { "affs": [ 0, 4 ], "name": "Nicola Robinson" }, { "affs": [ 5, 6 ], "name": "Jian-Ping Liu" }, { "affs": [ 2 ], "name": "Yun-Lun Li" }, { "affs": [ 7, 8, 9 ], "name": "Shi-Bing Liang" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/er30fpskfntt3.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187", "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13724362/?tool=EBI", "id": "er30fpskfntt3", "issns": [ "1663-9812" ], "landing_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187/full", "language": "eng", "licence": "CC-BY-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Systematic Review" ], [ "openalex", "2705|Heart Failure Treatment and Management" ] ], "openalex": "W7222915873", "pdf_url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187/pdf", "pmcid": "PMC13724362", "pmid": "42973617", "published": "2026-10-19", "publisher": "Frontiers Media SA", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/er30fpskfntt3.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:06Z", "native_id": "10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187", "source": "crossref", "url": "https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187/full" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-03T15:20:51Z", "native_id": "PMC:PMC13724362", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13724362" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-04T12:22:57Z", "native_id": "PMC13724362", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2026.1959187" }, { "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:48Z", "native_id": "MED:42973617", "source": "europepmc", "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42973617" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:2705|Heart Failure Treatment and Management", "subfield": "cardiovascular" } ], "title": "Qili Qiangxin capsule as adjunctive therapy for heart failure after acute myocardial infarction: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials", "title_text": "Qili Qiangxin capsule as adjunctive therapy for heart failure after acute myocardial infarction: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-05T03:21:00Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/er30fpskfntt3", "venue": "Frontiers in Pharmacology", "versions": [] }