Electroacupuncture Promotes Gastrointestinal Recovery in Intensive Care Unit Patients With Grade II–III Acute Gastrointestinal Injury: A Single-Center Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture as an adjunct to standard intensive care unit (ICU) care for gastrointestinal recovery in patients with grade II–III acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI). Methods This single-center, randomized, sham-controlled trial enrolled 60 ICU patients with grade II or III AGI. Participants were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to a treatment group or a control group. The control group received standard care plus sham electroacupuncture, whereas the treatment group received standard care plus electroacupuncture at bilateral Zusanli (ST36), Shangjuxu (ST37), and Tianshu (ST25) for 7 consecutive days. The primary outcome was the change in intestinal peristaltic frequency from day 1 to day 7, assessed by abdominal ultrasonography. Results The treatment group showed a significantly greater increase in intestinal peristaltic frequency from day 1 to day 7 than that in the control group (1.9 ± 0.6 vs 0.9 ± 0.3 counts/2 min, P < 0.001). Compared with the control group, the treatment group showed significantly greater improvements on days 3 and 7 in inflammatory biomarkers, stress hormone levels, abdominal ultrasonographic indices, and contrast-enhanced gastrointestinal ultrasonographic parameters (all P < 0.05). No significant between-group differences were observed in vital signs at any time point (all P > 0.05). The incidence of adverse events was comparable between the two groups ( P = 0.704). Conclusion Electroacupuncture, when added to standard ICU care, safely and effectively promotes gastrointestinal motility recovery in patients with grade II–III AGI.