Clinical effects of acupuncture for the treatment of pressure ulcers: A comprehensive systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of pressure ulcers. Randomized controlled trials evaluating the effects of acupuncture on pressure ulcers were identified through a comprehensive literature search on public database. The quality assessment of the included trials was performed based on the guidance of the Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook, and pooled analyses were performed by using the RevMan 5.4 software. The pooled results demonstrated that acupuncture in combination with standard wound care was significantly superior to standard wound care alone with regard to effective rate (RR 1.17, 95% CI [1.10, 1.24]), reduction in Wound Size (MD −2.78, 95% CI [−2.43, −1.44]), healing time (MD −6.24, 95% CI [−12.32, −0.17]) and the amount of 24‐h exudate (MD −0.86, 95% CI [−1.54, −0.18]). In conclusion, this study suggests that acupuncture can be used as an adjunctive therapy to promote healing of pressure ulcers.