Abstract
BACKGROUND: This research aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture in promoting the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function and to discuss the potential mechanism on the basis of heart rate variability (HRV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a randomized controlled study. Postoperative patients with gastric cancer received either electroacupuncture (EA) or sham electroacupuncture (SEA) 2 h after surgery and on the morning of the first 2 days after surgery, with each session lasting 30 min. The acupoints, treatment timepoints, and treatment durations in the SEA group were kept consistent with those in the EA group, but the intervention was SEA. Both groups were equipped with artificial intelligence HRV monitoring devices to monitor perioperative HRV and continuous bowel sound auscultation recorders to monitor perioperative bowel sound recovery in real time. Gastrointestinal function recovery indicators, HRV indicators, inflammatory markers, the incidence of postoperative complications, and adverse events were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in baseline. First flatus time, first oral feeding time, intestinal function recovery time, and length of postoperative hospitalization of EA group were better than those of the SEA group, (P < 0.05). On day 3 after surgery, in EA group, C-reactive protein, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) were lower than those in SEA group (P < 0.05). HRV indicators such as standard deviation of the average NN intervals, percentage of successive RR intervals that differ by more than 50 ms (PNN50), and high frequency were higher in EA group than those in SEA group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EA can safely and effectively promote gastrointestinal function rehabilitation in postoperative patients with gastric cancer, whose mechanism may be associated with higher tension in the vagus nerve, affected by EA.