Electroacupuncture as an Adjuvant Therapy for Dyspnea in Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Summary

This protocol describes a therapeutic approach using electroacupuncture to relieve dyspnea in patients with pulmonary hypertension with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Abstract

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is the most prevalent cardiovascular complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dyspnea is the most prevalent and distressing symptom in Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with COPD (PH-COPD) patients. This study elucidates the operational details of electroacupuncture therapy, encompassing instrument preparation, acupuncture point selection, procedure, precautions, and emergency handling. By assessing with the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC), the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), the Modified Borg Scale, the UCSD Shortness of Breath Questionnaire (UCSD-SOBQ), and the oxygen partial pressure in arterial blood (PaO₂), the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture as a supplementary intervention for dyspnea in patient with PH-COPD were explored.

An exploratory randomized controlled study was conducted on 14 patients, with the electroacupuncture group receiving both conventional therapy and electroacupuncture treatment, and the control group receiving only conventional therapy. After 2 weeks, dyspnea improved in both groups, with the electroacupuncture group showing superior results. No serious adverse reactions occurred in either group. The study indicates that electroacupuncture can effectively alleviate dyspnea in PH-COPD patients, enhance their quality of life, and is simple, safe to operate, and worthy of further investigation and promotion, offering an effective adjunct therapy for PH-COPD.

Introduction

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is defined by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. Due to abnormalities in the airways and/or alveoli, patients usually experience symptoms such as dyspnea, excessive sputum, and chronic cough¹. As the disease progresses, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is the most prevalent cardiovascular consequence in patients with COPD². PH arises from pulmonary vascular remodeling triggered by long-term airway inflammation and hypoxia. It will further exacerbate patients' dyspnea and lead to an increase in the load on the right ventricle, which may eventually result in ....

Protocol

The clinical study protocol underwent review and approval by the Clinical Research Approval Committee of Chengdu Xinjin District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NO. 202411). All participants were informed of the objectives and procedures of this research and consented to photographic and video recording.

1. Clinical information

1. Source of cases
   1. Identify observed cases as hospitalized patients in the respiratory and cardiovascular departments of Chengdu Xinjin District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
   ....

Results

Fourteen patients were included in this research, with seven assigned to the experimental group and seven to the control group. No participants withdrew during the study, and all 14 completed the protocol. Two males and five females were enrolled in the experimental group. In the control group, there were three males and four females. Table 2 shows the results of the comparison between the control and the experimental groups for variables, including age, sex, body mass in.......

Discussion

This study found that electroacupuncture therapy significantly alleviated dyspnea and improved life quality in PH-COPD patients. Results revealed that the- experimental group exhibited significantly greater improvement than the control group in 6MWT, UCSD-SOBQ, Modified Borg Scale scores, and PaO₂ following intervention. This suggests that the treatment regimen received by the experimental group had a positive effect on improving the patient's ability to walk, reducing symptoms of shortness of breath, and .......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
75% alcohol	Shenzhen Baoke Medical Devices Co., Ltd.	20182140792
alligator clips	Bozhou Rongjian Medical Supplies Co., Ltd.	2300442G5
disposable sterile acupuncture needles	Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co., Ltd.	100014261834
IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0	IBM Corp.	/
lead wires	Bozhou Rongjian Medical Supplies Co., Ltd.	2300442G5
pulsed acupuncture therapeutic device	Bozhou Rongjian Medical Supplies Co., Ltd.	2300442G5
Sterile cotton swabs	Chengdu Zhongxin Hygiene Materials Co., Ltd.	20240420
The R Programming Language 4.3.2	The R Foundation.	/