Article type
Year
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this review was to assess effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients with acute stroke.
Methods: A Cochrane systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized trials of acupuncture started within 30 days of stroke onset, compared with placebo / sham acupuncture or open control in patients with acute ischaemic and / or acute haemorrhagic stroke.
Results: Thirteen trials involving 1102 patients were included. All trials included patients with only ischemic stroke except one also included a small number of patients with hemorrhagic stroke (< 8%). Only two trials using sham acupuncture as control were of relatively high quality. At the end of follow-up there was a non-significant trend towards fewer death or dependency (odds ratio [OR] 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43 to 1.13) and fewer number requiring institutional care (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.28) in acupuncture group than in control group. There was no significant difference in the mean change of global neurological deficit score during treatment period (standardized mean difference 0.72, 95% CI -0.41 to 1.85) or at the end of follow-up (standardized mean difference 0.03, 95% CI -0.37 to 0.43) between groups. The reported adverse events of acupuncture appeared to be rare (4/317, 1.3%). One trial targeting to recruit 800 patients with acute ischemic stroke is ongoing in China which compares acupuncture plus routine treatment with routine treatment alone.
Conclusions: Acupuncture appears to be a safe treatment but currently there is not enough evidence to conclude that it is effective in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. There is no randomized data on acupuncture for acute hemorrhagic stroke. Further trials with enough sample size and scientifically sound methodology are required.
Poster session B
Methods: A Cochrane systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized trials of acupuncture started within 30 days of stroke onset, compared with placebo / sham acupuncture or open control in patients with acute ischaemic and / or acute haemorrhagic stroke.
Results: Thirteen trials involving 1102 patients were included. All trials included patients with only ischemic stroke except one also included a small number of patients with hemorrhagic stroke (< 8%). Only two trials using sham acupuncture as control were of relatively high quality. At the end of follow-up there was a non-significant trend towards fewer death or dependency (odds ratio [OR] 0.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43 to 1.13) and fewer number requiring institutional care (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.28) in acupuncture group than in control group. There was no significant difference in the mean change of global neurological deficit score during treatment period (standardized mean difference 0.72, 95% CI -0.41 to 1.85) or at the end of follow-up (standardized mean difference 0.03, 95% CI -0.37 to 0.43) between groups. The reported adverse events of acupuncture appeared to be rare (4/317, 1.3%). One trial targeting to recruit 800 patients with acute ischemic stroke is ongoing in China which compares acupuncture plus routine treatment with routine treatment alone.
Conclusions: Acupuncture appears to be a safe treatment but currently there is not enough evidence to conclude that it is effective in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. There is no randomized data on acupuncture for acute hemorrhagic stroke. Further trials with enough sample size and scientifically sound methodology are required.
Poster session B