Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26959661›Full record

SynthesisPloS one2016

The Efficacy of Acupuncture in Post-Operative Pain Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Ming-Shun Wu, Kee-Hsin Chen, I-Fan Chen, Shihping Kevin Huang, Pei-Chuan Tzeng, Mei-Ling Yeh, Fei-Peng Lee, Jaung-Geng Lin, Chiehfeng Chen

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03762486 (The Effects of Two Different Electrical Stimulation Methods on the Pain Intensity of the Patients Who Had Undergone Abdominal Surgery With a Midline Incision), which is not on this map. Cited by 107 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
107citing papers in PubMed, 14 pooled it
30.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03762486 nacompletednot on this map

The Effects of Two Different Electrical Stimulation Methods on the Pain Intensity of the Patients Who Had Undergone Abdominal Surgery With a Midline Incision: Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorYuksek Ihtisas UniversityRan2015 to 2016Enrolled48ConditionsTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationArmsTENS, TAES
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

107 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 236 citations in OpenAlex.

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  16. Effect of electroacupuncture on pain after periodontal flap surgery: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2025
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47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Ming-Shun WuDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Kee-Hsin ChenDepartment of Nursing, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
I-Fan ChenInstitute of Management of Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Shihping Kevin HuangInstitute of Management of Technology, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Pei-Chuan TzengEvidence-Based Medicine Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Mei-Ling YehGraduate Institute of Integration of Traditional Chinese Medicine with Western Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.
Fei-Peng LeeGraduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jaung-Geng LinSchool of Chinese Medicine-Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Chiehfeng ChenSchool of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Wan Fang Hospital · TWNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWChina Medical University · TWNational Taipei University of Nursing and Health Science · TWNational Yang Ming Chiao Tung University · TWTaipei Medical University · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPostoperative pain resulting from surgical trauma is a significant challenge for healthcare providers. Opioid analgesics are commonly used to treat postoperative pain; however, these drugs are associated with a number of undesirable side effects.

objectiveThis systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture and acupuncture-related techniques in treating postoperative pain. DATA SOURCE: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were searched until Sep 30, 2014. STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials of adult subjects (≥ 18 years) who had undergone surgery and who had received acupuncture, electroacupuncture, or acupoint electrical stimulation for managing acute post-operative pain were included.

resultsWe found that patients treated with acupuncture or related techniques had less pain and used less opioid analgesics on Day 1 after surgery compared with those treated with control (P < 0.001). Sensitivity analysis using the leave-one-out approach indicated the findings are reliable and are not dependent on any one study. In addition, no publication bias was detected. Subgroup analysis indicated that conventional acupuncture and transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation (TEAS) were associated with less postoperative pain one day following surgery than control treatment, while electroacupuncture was similar to control (P = 0.116). TEAS was associated with significantly greater reduction in opioid analgesic use on Day 1 post surgery than control (P < 0.001); however conventional acupuncture and electroacupuncture showed no benefit in reducing opioid analgesic use compared with control (P ≥ 0.142).

conclusionOur findings indicate that certain modes of acupuncture improved postoperative pain on the first day after surgery and reduced opioid use. Our findings support the use of acupuncture as adjuvant therapy in treating postoperative pain.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyHumansPain ManagementPostoperative PainTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID26959661
PMCPMC4784927
OpenAlexW2296697021

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.