Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation on peripheral capillary oxygen saturation in elderly patients undergoing colonoscopy with sedation: a prospective randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction: This study investigated whether transcutaneous electrical acupuncture point stimulation (TEAS) at PC6 can reduce the proportion of elderly patients experiencing a drop of ⩾4% in peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) while undergoing colonoscopy under sedation. Methods: A total of 32 elderly patients (aged ⩾ 65 years) scheduled for colonoscopy were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either real or sham TEAS (treatment or control groups, respectively). Each patient received oxygen (2 L/min) delivered routinely via nasal cannula. The treatment group was given TEAS at PC6 for 20 min at 2 Hz frequency and 6 mA intensity; the control group underwent the same procedures but with zero frequency/intensity. SpO2 and other physiological parameters were measured prior to sedation and colonoscopy (baseline) and at seven other timepoints through departure from recovery. Depth of anesthesia was measured using a Narcotrend monitor. Results: Significantly fewer patients in the treatment group experienced a ⩾4% decrease from baseline SpO2 (2/16) than patients in the control group (10/16; p = 0.004). The two groups were comparable with regard to respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate. Conclusion: TEAS applied at PC6 with 2 Hz frequency was feasible and may be helpful in reducing the rate of hypoxia in elderly patients during colonoscopy. Trial registration number: NCT03775122 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Electric Acupuncture on Neural Functional Recovery and Related Pathways of Rats after Spinal Cord Injury

“…. The heterogeneity of the two treatment methods in the included articles [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] was evaluated, and the results showed that there was no heterogeneity among these articles in terms of neurological recovery (I 2 = 0:00%). There were no heterogeneity among the included articles in motor function (I 2 = 0:00%) and no heterogeneity among articles in functional recovery (I 2 = 0:00%).…”

Effects of Acupuncture on Adverse Events in Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

“…Full-text screening of the remaining 36 articles was performed, resulting in eight articles being selected for inclusion in the metaanalysis (Fig. 1) [13][14][15][16][22][23][24][25]. The j value was 0.87, indicating a high degree of agreement between the two reviewers.…”

“…Interventions in the treatment groups included acupuncture [22][23][24][25], EA [13,16], and TEAS [14,15]. Interventions in the control groups included SA [13,22,25], PA [13], sham TEAS [14,15], no acupuncture [22][23][24][25], and no EA [16]. Six of the studies had Jadad scores C 3 [13][14][15][22][23][24].…”

“…Interventions in the control groups included SA [13,22,25], PA [13], sham TEAS [14,15], no acupuncture [22][23][24][25], and no EA [16]. Six of the studies had Jadad scores C 3 [13][14][15][22][23][24]. The result of bias assessment is shown in Fig.…”

“…Importantly, acupuncture has few side effects and high compliance, effectively demonstrating that it should be considered a valid alternative and/or complementary strategy [12]. A number of clinical trials have investigated the effects of acupuncture on colonoscopy, but the results of these studies were inconsistent [13][14][15][16]. Thus, whether acupuncture can optimize the colonoscopy procedure and improve patient comfort is currently unclear.…”