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Safety of Thread Embedding Acupuncture Therapy: A Systematic Review

  • Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine
  • Published:
Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

To evaluate the safety of thread embedding acupuncture therapy (TEAT) and discuss the prevention and treatment of some adverse events (AEs).

Methods

Review of databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), CBMdisc, Wanfang, VIP databases and English literature published in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science, were searched from their inception to January 2020, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case reports in which AEs with TEAT were included. Cochrane Collaboration’s tool and RevMan V.5.3.3 software were used to evaluate the quality of the studies.

Results

A total of 61 studies (45 RCTs and 16 case reports) with 620 cases of AEs were included in this review. These studies were published in two countries: China and South Korea. Twenty eight kinds of AEs were summarized. The most common AEs were induration, bleeding and ecchymosis, redness and swelling, fever, and pain. They were accounted for 75.35% (425/564) in the review, and most of them were mild. The rarest AEs were epilepsy, irregular menstruation, skin ulcer, thread malabsorption, and fat liquefaction, with 1 case each. But not all of them had clear causal relationship with TEAT. Most of the AEs were local reactions [with incidence of 9.83% (480/4,882)] and systemic reactions accounted for only 1.27% (62/4,882). Although the included studies showed that AEs were very commonly encountered (11.09%), only 5 cases of severe AEs reported from 2013 to 2017 (0.1%) by using catgut thread, which are rarely seen nowdays with the wide use of new absorbable surgical suture. All of the severe AEs were recovered after symptomatic treatment with no sequelae.

Conclusions

The evidence showed that TEAT is a relatively safe and convenient therapy especially since application of new absorbable surgical suture. Improving practitioner skills, regulating operations, and paying attention to the patients’ conditions may reduce the incidence of AEs and improve safety of TEAT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Medical School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510405, China

    Jia-jia Huang, Jun-quan Liang, Xiao-kang Xu & Yun-xiang Xu

  2. Shenzhen Bao’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, 518101, China

    Gui-zhen Chen

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  1. Jia-jia Huang
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  2. Jun-quan Liang
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  4. Yun-xiang Xu
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Contributions

Huang JJ and Xu XK were responsible for data collation and extraction. Huang JJ registered the protocol in the PROSPERO database. Chen GZ and Xu YX were responsible for project administration, writing review and editing. Huang JJ and Liang JQ contributed equally to the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yun-xiang Xu or Gui-zhen Chen.

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Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 81574064 and 81473755); Shenzhen Science and Technology Planning Project (No. JCYJ20170306152650625); Shenzhen Bao’an Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Research Program (No. BAZYY20200609)

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11655_2021_3443_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary material to “Safety of Thread Embedding Acupuncture Therapy: A Systematic Review” written by HUANG Jia-jia, LIANG Jun-quan, XU Xiao-kang, XU Yun-xiang, and CHEN Gui-zhe, published in Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-3443-1)

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Huang, Jj., Liang, Jq., Xu, Xk. et al. Safety of Thread Embedding Acupuncture Therapy: A Systematic Review. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 27, 947–955 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-021-3443-1

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