Electroacupuncture may ease post-thoracotomy pain
14 Jul 2021
Electroacupuncture might be effective in providing pain relief in patients after thoracotomy, reports a recent meta-analysis. However, existing evidence is generally of low quality, underscoring the need for better studies.
Drawing from the databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline Complete, CNKI, KMBASE, KISS, OASIS, and Google Scholar, the researchers retrieved 11 eligible randomized controlled trials, imposing no language restrictions. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to assess quality. Outcomes were pain score 24 hours after surgery and total dose of opioid analgesics.
Compared to sham acupuncture, electroacupuncture led to significantly lower pain scores, with a standardized mean difference of –0.98 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], –1.62 to –0.35) 24 hours after the procedure.
The same effect was achieved even when compared against conventional analgesia. Electroacupuncture led to a standardized mean difference of –0.94 (95 percent CI, –1.33 to –0.55) in pain scores after 24 hours.
Similarly, electroacupuncture had a significant advantage in terms of the total dose of opioid analgesics delivered as compared with sham acupuncture (standardized mean difference, –0.95, 95 percent CI, –1.42 to –0.47) and conventional analgesia (standardized mean difference, –1.96, 95 percent CI, –2.82 to –1.10).
“However, the meta-analysis had limitations, namely the low quality and heterogeneity of the included studies. A sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis were performed to adjust the heterogeneity, but they were not enough,” the researchers said.
“To overcome these limitations, several rigorously designed randomized controlled trials should be carried out to confirm electroacupuncture’s efficacy and safety before translating into clinical practice,” they added.