SynthesisPloS one2021
Electroacupuncture for post-thoracotomy pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pain management after open thoracotomy 2025: procedure-specific postoperative pain management (PROSPECT) recommendations.Anaesthesia · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- 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 · 2025Trial
- Pain management strategies following thoracic surgery: best practices and innovations.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Review
- The analgesic effect of electroacupuncture in alleviating paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathic pain and its possible mechanism relates to TLR4/P2X7-NLRP3 signaling pathway.Purinergic signalling · 2026Article
- Electroacupuncture for temporomandibular disorder-related pain: clinical evidence, mechanisms, and safety-a narrative review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Chronic Pain in the Cancer Survivor.Current pain and headache reports · 2025Review
- The curative effect analysis of simultaneous U-VATS for bilateral multiple primary early-stage lung cancers.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on pain, respiratory function, and analgesic drug usage after thoracotomy: a prospective randomized study.Indian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2025Article
- Post-thoracotomy pain syndrome in the era of minimally invasive thoracic surgery.Journal of thoracic disease · 2024Review
- Article
- Electroacupuncture for Pain Outcomes in a Trauma Center's Acute Pain Service: A Retrospective Observational Study.Medical acupuncture · 2023Article
- Electroacupuncture for the treatment of cancer pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Pain Control in Herpes Zoster: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThoracotomy is an invasive surgical procedure that produces intense postoperative pain. Electroacupuncture has been used to induce analgesia in various situations, including after surgery. The aim of the following systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture on post-thoracotomy pain.
methodsThe studies for the systematic review were searched using the following 9 databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE Complete, Google Scholar, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Korean Medical Database (KMBASE), Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS), and OASIS, without language restriction. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that met the inclusion criteria were selected. The quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, and RevMan 5.3 was used for meta-analysis. The review protocol is registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) as CRD42019142157.
resultsEleven randomized controlled trials were included in the systematic review. The meta-analysis was performed for two outcome measures: pain score 24 hours after surgery and total dose of opioid analgesics. A subgroup analysis was performed according to the control group: sham acupuncture and conventional analgesia group. Pain score 24 hours after surgery of electroacupuncture group showed a standard mean difference of -0.98 (95% CI: -1.62 to -0.35) compared to sham acupuncture. The standard mean difference was -0.94 (95% CI: -1.33 to -0.55) compared to conventional analgesia. The total dose of opioid analgesics of electroacupuncture group showed a standard mean difference values of -0.95 (95% CI: -1.42 to -0.47) compared to sham acupuncture. The standard mean difference was -1.96 (95% CI: -2.82 to -1.10) compared to conventional analgesia.
conclusionCurrent evidence suggests that electroacupuncture might provide useful pain relieving effect on post-thoracotomy patients. However, due to low quality and high heterogeneity of existing data, further rigorously designed studies should be performed to confirm the safety and efficacy.
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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.