title: Study of Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture in patients who have undergone abdominal surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The importance of postoperative gastrointestinal function recovery is being increasingly recognized. In this multi-center randomized controlled study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of Evodia hot compress (ECS) plus electro-acupuncture (EA) for patients who developed postoperative gastrointestinal tract dysfunction after abdominal surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  1009 patients who developed postoperative gastrointestinal tract dysfunction after abdominal surgery were enrolled. All patients received conventional therapies for 7 days from the 1st postoperative day and were randomly assigned to receive coarse salt hot compress, Evodia hot compress or Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture twice a day for 7 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean time to first flatus and to first bowel sounds was comparable among the four groups (P>0.05). The control group had a significantly shorter time to defecation compared with patients receiving coarse salt hot compress, Evodia hot compress or Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture (P<0.05). In patients undergoing open hepatectomy, the time to first defecation was the shortest in those who received Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture (89.3±25.5 h), which was significantly different from that of controls(134±31.1 h), those who received coarse salt hot compress (106.7±36.4 h) and those who received Evodia hot compress (109.9±42.1 h) (P<0.05) in patients undergoingopen cholecystectomy, the time to first defecation was the shortest in those who received Evodia hot compress (73.1± 24.7), which was significantly different from that of controls (77.8±29.7), those who received coarse salt hot compress 90.5±30.2) and those who received Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupunctur (83.9±34.0).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evodia hot compress plus electro-acupuncture confers benefit in postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function of patients who have undergone abdominal surgery and it is overall safe to use.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Chinese Clinical Trial RegistryChiCTR-TRC-09000527.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Lixing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zehuai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Nankai Hospital Tianjin 300100, China.
authors.forename: Naiqiang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510405, China.
authors.forename: Naiqing
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jianxing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhijian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhenbin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Shusheng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: You
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Xiuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhenhua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Aihua
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ou
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Wenfan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Clinical Teaching Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine Guangzhou 510120, China.
authors.forename: Qicheng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
keywords: Evodia hot compress; abdominal surgery; electro-acupuncture; gastrointestinal function