Table 2.
Acupuncture therapy versus sham acupuncture therapy for recovery of gastrointestinal function.
| Outcome | Treatment type, cancer, participants (number) | Acupuncture therapy | Effect Size MD [95% CI] | Study ID No.† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 2 | ||||
| Time to first bowel sounds (hours) | Open surgery, CRC (39) | Electro-acup. | -6.00 [-13.26, 1.26] | 21 |
| Open surgery, elderly, CRC (72) | Point application | -15.8 [-19.61, -11.99]∗ | 18 | |
| Pooled result (111) 2 RCTs | All acupuncture therapies | -11.41 [-20.96, -1.85]∗ 81.8% |
18, 21 | |
|
| ||||
| Time to first flatus (hours) |
Laparoscopic surgery, CRC (110) | Electro-acup. | -7.20 [-16.21, 1.81] | 7 |
| Open surgery, CRC (39) | Electro-acup. | -9.00 [-19.09, 1.09] | 21 | |
| Pooled result (149) | Electro-acup. | -8.00 [-14.72, -1.28]∗ 0% | 7, 21 | |
| Open surgery, CRC (60) | Acupressure | -19.92 [-32.57, -7.27]∗ | 1 | |
| Open surgery, elderly, CRC (72) | Point application | -26.30 [-32.81, -19.79]∗ | 18 | |
| Pooled result (281) 4 RCTs | All acupuncture therapies | -15.79 [-26.10, -5.49]∗ 79.9% |
1, 7, 18, 21 | |
|
| ||||
| Time to first defecation (hours) | Laparoscopic surgery, CRC (110) | Electro-acup. | -21.60 [-37.10, -6.11]∗ | 7 |
| Open surgery, CRC (39) | Electro-acup. | -4.00 [-34.81, 26.81] | 21 | |
| Pooled result (149) | Electro-acup. | -18.04 [-31.90, -4.19]∗ 0.1% |
7, 21 | |
| Open surgery, CRC (60) | Acupressure | -12.00 [-31.60, 7.60] | 1 | |
| Open surgery, elderly, CRC (72) | Point application | -39.80 [-48.16, -31.44]∗ | 18 | |
| Pooled result (281)4 RCTs | All acupuncture therapies | -22.42 [-39.14, -5.70]∗ 75.4% |
1, 7, 18, 21 | |
|
| ||||
| Time to first liquid intake (days) | Open surgery, CRC (60) | Acupressure | -0.83 [-1.45, -0.21]∗ | 1 |
|
| ||||
| Time to resume normal diet (days) | Laparoscopic surgery, CRC (110) | Electro-acup. | -0.10 [-0.46, 0.26] | 7 |
|
| ||||
| Frequency of bowel sounds at 40 hours1 | Open surgery, CRC (60) | Acupressure | 3.43 [0.77, 6.09]∗ | 1 |
∗ means statistically significant; † see Table 1; 1: frequency per minute assessed during a three minute interval.
CI: confidence interval; MD: mean difference.