Risk factors of embolism for the cardiac myxoma patients: a systematic review and metanalysis

The risk factors contributing to embolism in cardiac myxoma (CM) are yet controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify the risk factors of embolism for the CM patients. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan Fang, and Wei Pu databases were searched from inception to June 2019. Statistical analysis was conducted using Stata version 14.0. The pooled odds ratio or mean difference with 95% confidence interval was estimated for each risk factor. Herein, 12 studies, encompassing 1814 patients, were included. The pooled results suggested that New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I/II (P   0.05). NYHA class (I/II), hypertension, irregular tumor surface, atypical tumor location, the narrow base of tumor, and increased FIB were significant risk factors of embolism in CM patients. For CM patients with these factors, early surgery might be beneficial to prevent embolism.