Traditional Chinese medicine classic herbal formula Qingjin Huatan decoction for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Inhaled bronchodilators are the mainstay treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Qingjin Huatan (QJHT) decoction is a widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, it is commonly prescribed as an adjuvant therapy to western medicine to manage acute exacerbation COPD (AECOPD). In this review, we conducted a systematic review to evaluate the total clinical efficacy of QJHT decoction. Five electronic databases including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese science and technology periodical database (VIP) and Wanfang database (Wanfang Data) were searched. The primary outcome was total clinical efficacy after 7–15 days; secondary outcomes included changes in FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEV1 percentage of the predicted value (FEV1% pre), and adverse effects. Fourteen eligible RCTs with moderate risk of bias were included and data from 1278 patients were studied. Compared to CWM, QJHT decoction improved total clinical efficacy rate by an odds ratio (OR) of 3.98, 95% CI: 2.61 to 6.08, P