Incidence of major complications after percutaneous native renal biopsies in adults from low-income to middle income countries: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Kidney biopsy is an essential tool for guiding clinicians towards diagnoses, treatment and determining prognosis in renal disease. However, the procedure can be marred by various complications. The reported occurrence of complications varies among countries or regions and is also affected by several clinical and technical factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the incidence of major complications after percutaneous native renal biopsy in low-income to middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods and analysis We will include studies of populations from LMIC as per World Bank 2017 country list. Relevant abstracts published from 1 January 1980 to 30 December 2017 will be searched in PubMed, Cochrane, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase) and African Journals Online, without language restriction. Two reviewers will independently screen, select studies, extract data and assess the risk of bias in each study. A third reviewer will arbitrate in cases of disagreements. The study-specific estimates will be pooled through a random-effects model meta-analysis to obtain an overall summary estimate of the incidence of major complications across studies. Clinical and statistical heterogeneity will be evaluated by Cochrane’s Q statistic. Funnel-plot analysis and Egger’s test will be used to assess publication bias. Results will be presented by geographical region and income group. Ethics and dissemination This study will use published data. Therefore, there is no requirement for ethical approval. This systematic review and meta-analysis is expected to inform healthcare workers and providers about the occurrence of major complications following renal biopsies and highlight possible actions needed to improve the safety of the procedure in LMICs. The final report will be published as an original article in a peer-reviewed journal. Findings will also be presented at a conference and submitted to relevant health authorities.