A Network Meta-Analysis of Two Doses of Recombinant Human Thrombopoietin for Treating Sepsis-Related Thrombocytopenia

Previous studies suggest that sepsis remains a common critical illness with a global incidence of 31.5 million. The aim of this study was to evaluate the comparative therapeutic value of recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) in treating sepsis patients with thrombocytopenia. We conducted a comprehensive electronic search of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI from its inception through December 31, 2021. Thirteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 963 patients were included. Network meta-analyses showed that rhTPO 300 U/kg/day and rhTPO 15000 U/day significantly increased the platelet (PLT) levels on the 7th day and decreased the requirement of transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs), plasma, and PLT compared with IVIG and NAT. SUCRA showed that rhTPO 300 U/kg/day ranked first in terms of 28-day mortality (85.5%) and transfusion, including RBC (88.7%), plasma (89.6%), and PLT (95.2%), while rhTPO 15000 U/day ranked first for the length of the intensive care unit (ICU) stay (95.9%) and PLT level at day 7 (91.6%). rhTPO 300 U/kg/day may be the optimal dose to reduce 28-day mortality and transfusion requirements. However, rhTPO 15000 U/day may be the optimal dose for shortening the ICU stay and increasing the PLT level on the 7th day. However, additional studies to further validate our findings are needed.