Electroacupuncture (EA) Promotes Gastrointestinal Functional Recovery After Radical Colorectal Cancer Surgery

Colorectal cancer is the most common and predominant malignancy, and radical resection surgery, as the main method of current treatment for colon and gastrointestinal cancers, is performed on a large number of patients each year. Clinically, abdominal surgery causes the highest frequency of gastrointestinal dysfunction and the longest relative duration of dysfunction. A condition in which gastrointestinal function has not fully recovered after abdominal surgery is called gastrointestinal dysfunction. The common symptoms of postoperative gastrointestinal dysmotility are abdominal distension, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diminished or even absent bowel sounds, loss of anal discharge, loss of bowel movements, and even secondary symptoms such as fever and pulmonary infection. It will adversely affect patients' postoperative quality of life to varying degrees, weaken their gastrointestinal barrier capacity, and severe gastrointestinal dysfunction can lead to complications such as electrolyte disorders, intestinal adhesions, intestinal obstruction, anastomotic fistula, and abdominal wall incision dehiscence in patients, as well as increase the social burden and the economic burden of patients. Some clinical reports show that acupuncture has good efficacy on gastrointestinal dysfunction, and acupuncture has effects on the gastrointestinal tract such as promoting gastrointestinal motility and reducing the inflammatory response of the gastrointestinal tract. In this study, a multicenter, randomized, blinded, sham acupuncture-controlled clinical design will be used to verify the efficacy of postoperative electroacupuncture in accelerating the recovery of gastrointestinal function after colorectal cancer surgery. Participants will be randomized into 3 groups: The conventional control group will receive postoperative rehydration and nutritional support, correction of acid-base imbalance and electrolyte disturbance, anti-infection, hemostasis and other symptomatic treatments. In the electroacupuncture group, acupuncture will be performed within 6 hours after surgery on the basis of the conventional control group. Acupoint: bilateral Hegu (LI4), Zhigou (SJ6), Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37). Both after obtaining Qi, and unilaterally connected to the electroacupuncture instrument for electrical stimulation, the current frequency is continuous wave 5 Hz, the intensity of stimulation was as the patient tolerated. From the patient's safe return to the ward until fourth day post-surgery, or until the occurrence of the first postoperative flatus, administer treatment every 12 ± 8 hours for 30 minutes per session. The sham acupuncture group will based on the conventional control group, using a blunt-tipped needle tip that do not pierce the adhesive pad. In other words, the electroacupuncture instrument show the state of being connected, but it is not actually energized; the acupuncture points, acupuncture time points, frequency, retention time and treatment duration were the same as those of the intervention group.