Objectives: To explore the effect of early electro‐acupuncture at acupoints on the recovery of gastrointestinal function after intestinal surgery.
Methods: 78 patients undergoing open gastrointestinal surgery from January 2018 to December 2018 in the Fifth People's Hospital of Foshan were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 34 cases in each group. The control group was treated with conventional fasting, gastrointestinal decompression, fluid replacement and anti‐infection. The treatment group was treated with electro‐acupuncture at Zusanli acupoint and Shangjuxu acupoint within 24 hours after operation. The clinical efficacy, recovery of gastrointestinal function and changes of plasma gastrin levels were compared between the two groups.
Results: The total clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 89.74%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (76.92%) (P < 0.05). The recovery time of bowel sounds, exhaust time, defecation time and eating time in the treatment group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The plasma gastrin levels in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group on the 2nd and 3rd days after operation (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Early electroacupuncture at Zusanli and Shangjuxu points can improve the level of serum gastrin and effectively promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function after abdominal surgery.
Acknowledgements: Supported by a project from the Foshan Medical Research Project (No. 20180148); the 13th Five‐Year Medical Key Speciality Construction Project of Foshan (No. FSZDZK135033).
