Electro-acupuncture at Zusanli, Qihai, and Guanyuan Acupoints Regulate Immune Function in Patients With Sepsis

Lectro-acupuncture at Zusanli, Qihai, and Guanyuan Acupoints Regulate Immune Function in Patients With Sepsis

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biochemical and clinical effects of electro-acupuncture in patients with sepsis.

Patients were randomly divided into an electro-acupuncture (EA) group and a Western medicine group(WM group) using restricted block randomization (1:1 ratio).

Patients in the Western medicine group received conventional treatment with Western medicine. According to the International Guidelines for Management of Sepsis and Septic Shock: 2016, conventional treatment includes antibiotics and other anti-infection measures, fluid management, mechanical ventilation, and nutritional support, but did not include the use of immunosuppressants or immune enhancers including hormones, gamma globulin, and thymosin. Patients in the electro-acupuncture group were treated with Western medicine and electro-acupuncture. Electro-acupuncture was given at the Zusanli (ST36), Guanyuan (CV4), and Qihai (CV6) acupoints, twice a day for 30 minutes, and for 5 days in total.

The indicators of immune dysfunction including the percentage of T lymphocyte subsets, percentage of natural killer (NK) cells, and serum soluble programed cell death protein (sPD-1) level, and clinical effect including APACHE-II and SOFA score, whole blood analysis, levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein (CRP), were determined before treatment and after treatment for 5 days.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of sepsis;
• Signed the informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy or psychiatric disorder;
• Immune deficiency or using immunosuppressants or immune enhancers;
• History of malignancy;
• HIV positive;
• Unwilling to participate in the study or cooperate with the treatment. Patients who cannot tolerate electroacupuncture treatment or loss of follow-up for complicating with other diseases during the study would be dropped off.