Table 3. Subgroup analysis.
| Outcome | Subgroup | Studies | Patients | Effect Sizes SMD | 95%CI | Heterogeneity I2 (%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to first flatus | Acupuncture technique | ||||||
| MA | 5 | 362 | -1.67 | [-2.47, -0.86] | 90 | < 0.0001 | |
| EA | 10 | 737 | -0.94 | [-1.38, -0.49] | 87 | < 0.0001 | |
| TEAS | 1 | 63 | -0.53 | [-1.03, -0.03] | - | = 0.04 | |
| Acupoints combination | |||||||
| Distal acupoints combination | 12 | 896 | -1.19 | [-1.64, -0.74] | 89 | < 0.00001 | |
| Distal–proximal acupoints combination | 3 | 266 | -0.93 | [-2.05, 0.19] | 94 | = 0.1 | |
| Frequency of treatment session | |||||||
| 1/d | 11 | 901 | -1.2 | [-1.66, -0.75] | 89 | < 0.00001 | |
| 2/d | 4 | 261 | -0.94 | [-1.85, -0.03] | 92 | = 0.04 | |
| Time to first defecation | Acupuncture technique | ||||||
| MA | 4 | 302 | -2.18 | [-3.87, -0.50] | 97 | = 0.01 | |
| EA | 9 | 678 | -0.93 | [-1.40, -0.46] | 88 | = 0.0001 | |
| Acupoints combination | |||||||
| Distal acupoints combination | 10 | 774 | -1.32 | [-1.92, -0.73] | 93 | <0.0001 | |
| Distal–proximal acupoints combination | 2 | 206 | -1.16 | [-3.43, 1.11] | 98 | = 0.32 | |
| Frequency of treatment session | |||||||
| 1/d | 10 | 842 | -1.32 | [-1.93, -0.72] | 93 | <0.0001 | |
| 2/d | 2 | 138 | -1.17 | [-3.49, 1.14] | 97 | = 0.32 | |
Abbreviations: MA, manual acupuncture; EA, electroacupuncture; TEAS, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation; SMD, standardized mean difference; 95%CI, 95% Confidence interval.