Efficacy of acupuncture combined with oral Chinese medicine in the treatment of arrhythmia: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: At present, Western medicine treatment methods for arrhythmia emerge in an endless stream, but the accompanying side effects are also exposed, which brings pressure on medical resources and social economy. In recent years, the advantages of acupuncture combined with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the control of arrhythmia have become increasingly prominent. Neiguan (PC6) is the collateral point in pericardium meridian; acupuncture at Neiguan can nourish the heart and calm the mind, and also plays an important role in treating arrhythmias. There is currently a lack of evidence-based medical evidence for the combination of acupuncture and TCM in the treatment of arrhythmia. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupuncture combined with oral TCM in the treatment of arrhythmia.

Methods: Randomized controlled trials published from the inception of databases to June 2022 were reviewed by searching the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang databases. Review Manager 5.4.1 was used for the meta-analysis after the reviewers scanned the literature, extracted information, and identified the risk of bias.

Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials with 804 patients were reviewed, including 402 and 402 patients in the treatment and control groups, respectively. The results of the meta-analysis showed a significant benefit of acupuncture plus oral TCM in terms of clinical effectiveness compared with oral TCM alone (n = 696; relative risk (RR), 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14 to 1.30; P < .00001) and in lowering the number of premature beats in 24 hours (n = 374; standard mean difference, -10,55; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) -14.61 to -6.49; P < .00001). Acupuncture plus oral TCM was also found to improve the conversion rate (n = 168; RR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.52; P = .0002) and increase the left ventricular ejection fraction (n = 250; mean difference, 6.57; 95% CI, 4.11-9.04; P < .00001), but it had no significant increase in adverse events (n = 262; RR, 0.57; 95% CI 0.30-1.09; P = .09).

Conclusion: Compared with oral TCM alone, acupuncture combined with oral TCM showed a clear benefit in treating arrhythmias and had no increase in adverse events.