Published online Nov 6, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i31.11427
Peer-review started: July 13, 2022
First decision: July 31, 2022
Revised: August 16, 2022
Accepted: September 27, 2022
Article in press: September 27, 2022
Published online: November 6, 2022
Postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery is considered critical to the rapid rehabilitation of patients who have undergone gastrointestinal tumor resection. However, active intervention to promote the rapid recovery of gastrointestinal function after surgery remains insufficient. Therefore, finding an effective method to promote postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery is essential.
Traditional Chinese medicine offers considerable advantages for the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. Acupuncture based on Traditional Chinese medicine theories is widely applied to postoperative patients. However, compared to traditional acupuncture, intradermal needle therapy (INT) is easier to perform and less painful for patients.
We selected distal acupoints of the corresponding meridian (specifically, acupoints on the stomach, large intestine, liver, and spleen channels) as intradermal needle therapy treatment sites and aimed to elucidate the effect of this treatment in a cohort of gastrointestinal tumor patients.
In this randomized controlled trial, patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancer were randomly allocated to either the intervention or the control group. Participants in the control group received enhanced recovery care, while those in the intervention group received enhanced recovery care combined with INT at the Yuan-source, Luo-connecting, and He-sea points.
INT at the Yuan-source, Luo-connecting, and He-sea points decreased patients’ time to the first postoperative flatus passage, oral feeding, and defecation, and alleviated their symptoms, including abdominal distension, nausea, and fatigue 48 h and 72 h after surgery.
INT at the Yuan-source, Luo-connecting, and He-sea points can promote recovery of gastrointestinal function and ease gastrointestinal symptoms in patients following surgical resection of gastrointestinal tumors.
This study provided preliminary evidence to support the integration of this intervention into the postoperative care of patients with gastrointestinal tumors to promote rapid recovery. In future studies, the effect of INT at the Yuan-source, Luo-connecting, and He-sea points needs to be further explored by focusing on a specific tumor type and using larger sample sizes.