Table 3.
Quality of evidence in included systematic reviews and meta-analyses with Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.
| References | Outcomes | Limitations | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication bias | Quality of evidence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guo et al. (2008) | EA vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Lee et al. (2008) | EA vs. Nimodipine/Huperzine/ Perphenazine | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low |
| EA vs. Nimodipine/Huperzine/ Perphenazine | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Zhu and Zhang (2009) | EA vs. Nimodipine/Duxil | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Yuan and Zhang (2010) | Before and after acupuncture | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Liu et al. (2011) | Acupuncture + Nimodipine/Donepezil/Duxil vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Duxil | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Cao et al. (2013) | Acupuncture + CFT vs. WM/CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Fang et al. (2014) | Acupuncture + CFT vs. CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Zhao et al. (2014) | EA/ Acupuncture/SA + CFT/ Nimodipine vs. CFT | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture vs. CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture vs. CFT | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Cao et al. (2014) | Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Duxil | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low |
| Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Duxil | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low | |
| Hu et al. (2014) | Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Zhou et al. (2015) | Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture vs. Nimodipine | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Mai and Zheng (2015) | EA vs. CFT | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low |
| EA vs. CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| EA vs. CFT | MoCA | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Lu et al. (2015) | Acupuncture + CT vs. CT | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Acupuncture + CT vs. CT | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Acupuncture + CT vs. CT | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Zhang et al. (2015) | Acupuncture + CFT vs. CFT | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low |
| Acupuncture + CFT vs. CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Acupuncture + CFT vs. CFT | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Xu and Xie (2015) | BA + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| BA + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Deng and Wang (2016) | SEA vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low |
| SEA vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Xiong et al. (2016) | SA + CT vs. CT | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Lin et al. (2016) | Acupuncture vs. CT | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Acupuncture vs. CT | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Acupuncture vs. CT | MoCA | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Zou et al. (2016) | Acupuncture vs. Huperzine/Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture vs. Huperzine/Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture vs. Huperzine/Nimodipine | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture vs. Huperzine/Nimodipine | HDS | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Zhou et al. (2017) | Acupuncture + HM vs. Huperzine/Hydergine/Donepezil | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture + HM vs. Huperzine/Hydergine/Donepezil | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Acupuncture + HM vs. Huperzine/Hydergine/Donepezil | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low | |
| Wan et al. (2017) | EA vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low |
| EA vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| EA vs. Nimodipine | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Zhan et al. (2017) | EA + Nimodipine/CFT vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low |
| EA + Nimodipine/CFT vs. Nimodipine CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| EA + Nimodipine/CFT vs. Nimodipine/CFT | MoCA | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Lin et al. (2017) | Acupuncture vs. TCM | General effective | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Acupuncture vs. TCM | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Kwon et al. (2018) | AA vs. Nimodipine/Almitrine-Raubasine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low |
| AA vs. Nimodipine/Almitrine-Raubasine | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| AA + HM vs. HM | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low | |
| Wu et al. (2018) | EA vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| EA vs. Nimodipine | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Liu et al. (2018) | EA + CT + CFT vs. CT+CFT | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Li et al. (2018) | Acupuncture + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Very low | |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine vs. Nimodipine | MoCA | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Kim et al. (2019) | EA vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| EA vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | MoCA | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Wang et al. (2019) | EA vs. Donepezil/Huperzine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| EA vs. Donepezil/Huperzine | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Li et al. (2020) | Acupuncture + Nimodipine/Donepezil vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | General effective | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine/Donepezil vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine/Donepezil vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | MoCA | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low | |
| Acupuncture + Nimodipine/Donepezil vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil | ADL | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Seriousc | Low | |
| Wang et al. (2020) | Acupuncture/EA vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Huperzine | MMSE | Seriousa | Seriousb | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Low |
| Acupuncture/EA vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Huperzine | ADL | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Acupuncture/EA vs. Nimodipine/Donepezil/Huperzine | HDS | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
| Tang et al. (2020) | Acupuncture vs. CFT (on post-operative day 7) | Incidence of POCI | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate |
| Acupuncture vs. CFT (on post-operative day 7) | MMSE | Seriousa | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Not serious | Moderate | |
a
The design of the experiment with a large bias in random, distributive hiding or blind; bThe confidence interval overlaps less, the heterogeneity test P is very small, and the I2 is larger; cFewer studies are included, and there may be greater publication bias.