Study of Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture in patients who have undergone abdominal surgery

Zhiqiang Chen; Lixing Cao; Zehuai Wen; Naiqiang Cui; Naiqing Li; Jianxing Xie; Zhijian Tan; Zhenbin Luo; Shusheng Wang; You Qin; Xiuhua Chen; Zhenhua Xu; Aihua Ou; Wenfan Shang; Zhi Jiang; Qicheng Chen

Study of Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture in patients who have undergone abdominal surgery

Int J Clin Exp Med. 2015 Sep 15;8(9):16167-74. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Zhiqiang Chen¹, Lixing Cao¹, Zehuai Wen¹, Naiqiang Cui², Naiqing Li³, Jianxing Xie⁴, Zhijian Tan¹, Zhenbin Luo¹, Shusheng Wang¹, You Qin¹, Xiuhua Chen¹, Zhenhua Xu¹, Aihua Ou¹, Wenfan Shang¹, Zhi Jiang¹, Qicheng Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
² Department of General Surgery, Nankai Hospital Tianjin 300100, China.
³ Department of General Surgery, The First Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510405, China.
⁴ Department of General Surgery, Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Beijing 100700, China.

PMID: 26629130
PMCID: PMC4659019

Abstract

Background: The importance of postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery is being increasingly recognized. In this multi-center randomized controlled study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of Evodia hot compress (ECS) plus electro-acupuncture (EA) for patients who developed postoperative gastrointestinal tract dysfunction after abdominal surgery.

Methods: 1009 patients who developed postoperative gastrointestinal tract dysfunction after abdominal surgery were enrolled. All patients received conventional therapies for 7 days from the 1st postoperative day and were randomly assigned to receive coarse salt hot compress, Evodia hot compress or Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture twice a day for 7 days.

Results: The mean time to first flatus and to first bowel sounds was comparable among the four groups (P>0.05). The control group had a significantly shorter time to defecation compared with patients receiving coarse salt hot compress, Evodia hot compress or Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture (P<0.05). In patients undergoing open hepatectomy, the time to first defecation was the shortest in those who received Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture (89.3±25.5 h), which was significantly different from that of controls(134±31.1 h), those who received coarse salt hot compress (106.7±36.4 h) and those who received Evodia hot compress (109.9±42.1 h) (P<0.05) in patients undergoingopen cholecystectomy, the time to first defecation was the shortest in those who received Evodia hot compress (73.1± 24.7), which was significantly different from that of controls (77.8±29.7), those who received coarse salt hot compress 90.5±30.2) and those who received Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupunctur (83.9±34.0).

Conclusion: Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture confers benefit in postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function of patients who have undergone abdominal surgery and it is overall safe to use.

Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial RegistryChiCTR-TRC-09000527.

Keywords: Evodia hot compress; abdominal surgery; electro-acupuncture; gastrointestinal function.