Table 1.
Characteristics of the included trials
| Study | Number of patients | Age (years) | Heart function degree | Operation type | EA parameter | Acupoint | Outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA | Control | ||||||||
| Ma FG et al 201529 | 50 | 45±16 | 46±15 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 2.34-6.24 mA, adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat, SOD, MDA, cTnI | |
| Ni XL et al 201230 | 70 | 3.95 | 3.45 | Unreported | Repair of congenital heart disease | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 14±3 mA. | PC6 | IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, cTnI, Sedative drug usage, analgesic usage, tracheal intubation time, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay | |
| Shan JG 2009;31 Shan JG et al 201032 | 30 | 31.1±15.7 | 32.5±13.6 | Unreported | Valve replacement, septal defect repair, incision of pulmonary stenosis | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat, IL-2, IL-10, TNF-α, total days of antibiotic use, Length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay | |
| Tao YY 200933 | 23 | 31.8±13.6 | 35.9±8.5 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement, septal defect repair, septal defect repair and valvuloplasty | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 1-3 mA. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat, cTnI, sedative drug usage, analgesic usage, Tracheal intubation time, length of ICU stay | |
| Wang XR et al 199934 | 28 | 27.4±8.9 | 28.9±10.1 | Ⅰ-Ⅱ | Septal defect repair | The frequency is 3-4 Hz and the intensity is 0.5-1 mA. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat | |
| Wang YQ et al 201235 | 40 | 42.5 ± 6.5 | 43.3±6.8 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement | The frequency is 3-4 Hz and the intensity is adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | SOD, MDA | |
| Wang Y et al 201936 | 60 | 44±4 | 45±5 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/15 Hz. the intensity is 1 mA. | GV20, EX-HN3, GV26 | IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay | |
| Wu DQ et al 2018;37 Wu DQ et al 201938 | 40 | 48±10.4 | 47.4±10.4 | Unreported | Valve replacement | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 1-24 mA, adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | LI4, LI11, ST36, SP9 | Sedative drug usage, analgesic usage, tracheal intubation time, length of ICU stay | |
| Yang QG et al 200639 | 20 | 31.3±7.6 | 31.8±11.5 | Unreported | Septal defect repair | The frequency is 3-4 Hz and the intensity is adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | IL-2, IL-6, IL-10 | |
| Yang LF et al 200940 | 75 | 50±4 | 51±6 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 5-6/25-30 Hz. The intensity is 2.34-6.24 mA, adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6, LU7, LU2 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat, Sedative drug usage, analgesic usage, length of hospital stay | |
| Yang YL et al 202042 | 100 | 6.9±2.4 | 7.3±2.2 | Unreported | Repair of tetralogy of fallot | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 6 mA, | GV20, PC6, LI4, PC4 | IL-6, TNF-α, analgesic usage, tracheal intubation time, length of ICU stay, hospital stay | |
| Zhang FX et al 2017;43 Xiao H et al 201844 | 40 | 44±6 | 47±5 | Ⅱ-Ⅲ | Valve replacement | Sparse-dense wave at a frequency of 2/100 Hz. The intensity is 0.5-1.2 mA, adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | PC6, PC4, GV24, GV20 | Incidence of cardiac automatic rebeat, MDA, cTnI, inotrope scores, sedative drug usage, analgesic usage, tracheal intubation time, time to get out of bed for the first time, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay | |
| Zhou J et al 201145 | 200 | 51.3 | 53.8 | Ⅰ-Ⅲ | Repair of congenital heart disease, valve replacement, valvuloplasty | The frequency is 3-4 Hz and the intensity is adjusted according to the patient's tolerance. | LU1, LU7, PC4 | Time to get out of bed for the first time, total days of antibiotic use, length of ICU stay, length of hospital stay | |
Notes: EA: electroacupuncture; SOD: superoxide dismutase; MDA: malondialdehyde; TNF: tumour necrosis factor; cTnI: cardiac troponin I; IL: interleukin; ICU: intensive care unit; LU1: Zhongfu; PC4: Ximen; PC6: Neiguan; LU7: Lieque; LU2: Yunmen; GV20: Baihui; EX-HN3: Yintang; GV24: Shenting; GV26: Renzhong; LI4: Hegu; LI11: Quchi; ST36: Zusanli; SP9: Yinlingquan.