Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29843761›Full record

ArticleTrials2018

Efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture treatment in improving the consciousness of patients with traumatic brain injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Jie Liu, Xinsheng Xue, Ying Wu, Chaohua Yang, Ning Li, Huiping Li

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

6 authors.

Jie LiuDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Xinsheng XueDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Ying WuDepartment of Neurology, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Chaohua YangDepartment of Neurosurgery, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Ning LiDepartment of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China.
Huiping LiDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, West-China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China. huipingli2154@hotmail.com.

Funding

Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Sichuan. 2016C053
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) has become a leading cause of death among young people worldwide. Survivors may live with a long-term TBI-related disability or even develop a disorder of consciousness resulting in poor life quality and shortened life expectancy. Thus far, very few approaches have been found to be effective in the consciousness recovery of these patients. Acupuncture has long been used in the treatment of neurological disorders in China. However, its efficacy and safety in consciousness recovery remain to be proved.

methodsHere, we present a study design and protocol of a randomized, blinded, controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of electro-acupuncture in the consciousness recovery of patients with TBI. A total of 150 patients with initial Glasgow coma scale score of less than 8 points will be recruited in the trial and randomized into acupuncture or control groups. Patients in the control group will receive routine pharmacological treatment alone while patients in the acupuncture group will receive electro-acupuncture treatment for 10 days in addition to routine treatment. The efficacy will be assessed with the changes in Glasgow coma scale score and mismatch negativity of event-related brain potentials before and after treatment. Moreover, Glasgow outcome scale and Barthel index of activities of daily living will be compared between the two groups at 3 months after treatment. The secondary outcome measures are the length of stay in ICU and hospital, expenses in ICU and hospital, as well as the incidence of coma-related complications. The safety of electro-acupuncture will be assessed by monitoring the incidence of adverse events and changes in vital signs during the study. DISCUSSION: Results from this trial will significantly add to the current body of evidence on the role of electro-acupuncture in the consciousness recovery of patients with severe TBI. In addition, a more convenient and consistent electro-acupuncture method can be set up for clinical practice. If found to be effective and safe, electro-acupuncture will be a valuable complementary option for comatose patients with TBI.

trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-INR-17011674 . Registered on 16 June 2016.

Indexed as

ConsciousnessElectroacupunctureAdolescentAdultAgedBrain Injuries, TraumaticChinaConsciousness DisordersFemaleGlasgow Coma ScaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRecovery of FunctionTime FactorsConsciousnessElectro-acupunctureMismatchNegativityTraumatic brain injury

Identifiers

PMID29843761
PMCPMC5975471

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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.