Treatment of penetrating injuries of the retrohepatic vena cava: systematic review protocol.

Injuries to the retrohepatic segment of the inferior vena cava require complex procedures, as exposure without prior vascular control can lead to uncontrollable and fatal bleeding. To achieve such control, the classic techniques of hepatic vascular exclusion and the implantation of an atriocaval shunt have been described, and more recently, endovascular strategies have been reported. However, there is no consensus in the literature regarding which of these strategies is associated with lower mortality. In order to determine which therapeutic strategy presents the lowest mortality and complication rates in the treatment of penetrating injuries to the retrohepatic segment of the inferior vena cava, a systematic review of the literature will be conducted, registered on the PROSPERO platform under the number CRD42023464133. The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions will guide the process. Searches will be carried out in the MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. ClinicalTrials.gov and the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) will be consulted to detect ongoing or unpublished trials. Studies will be selected based on a predefined search strategy, the number of results will be filtered using the Rayyan app, and the studies included will be independently reviewed by two authors to reach a final consensus. The qualitative analysis of the studies will be conducted using the RoB 1.0 tool.