Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture for postoperative bowel obstruction after abdominal surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Table 2 Summary of findings and certainty of evidence for main outcomes

Outcome	Number (studies)	Effect estimate	Certainty	Reasons for downgrading
Time to first flatus	1396 (9)	MD = -10.91 hours (95%CI: -15.07 to -6.74)	Low	Risk of bias; inconsistency
Time to first defecation	1397 (9)	MD = -19.80 hours (95%CI: -28.60 to -11.01)	Low	Risk of bias; serious inconsistency
Length of stay	495 (6)	MD = -0.93 days (95%CI: -1.67 to -0.18)	Low	Inconsistency; indirectness
Prolonged/persistent postoperative ileus	1067 (4)	OR = 0.45 (95%CI: 0.33-0.60)	Moderate	Risk of bias
Time to ambulation/independent walking	884 (4)	MD = -9.37 hours (95%CI: -18.34 to -0.40)	Very low	Inconsistency; indirectness; imprecision
Safety/adverse events	Not pooled	Mild adverse events reported; no definite serious adverse events described	Very low	Risk of bias; indirectness; very serious imprecision due to incomplete safety reporting

MD: Mean difference; OR: Odds ratio; 95%CI: 95% confidence interval.