AUTHOR=Zhou Zheng-qing , Chen Yi-jing , Xu Hua 

TITLE=Does perioperative electroacupuncture reduce the incidence of atrial fibrillation after lung cancer surgery? A randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded clinical trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1565359

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2025.1565359

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) is a common complication of lung cancer surgery, with high incidence during the perioperative period. Electroacupuncture is considered a potential complementary therapy for the management of AF. We aimed to evaluate the preventive effects of perioperative electroacupuncture on new-onset AF in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery.MethodsThis was a single-center, randomized, controlled, assessor-blinded clinical trial. We randomly divided 90 patients with cancer who underwent lung surgery into an electroacupuncture group (EA) and a sham electroacupuncture group (SA). Four acupuncture points on the surgical side were selected for the intervention. The EA group was needled with an EA instrument using sparse and dense waves alternating at 2/100 Hz. Electroacupuncture treatments were administered thrice. The incidence of newly developed AF within 72 h after surgery was used as the main indicator, and the Visual Analog Scale, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and blood levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were used as secondary outcomes.ResultsThe EA group showed a 14.6% absolute risk reduction in POAF incidence compared to the SA group (P = 0.013). NT-proBNP level (MD: +32.57 pg/mL, 95% CI: 5.8–59.3, P = 0.018) and interleukin-6 level (MD: +9.29 pg/mL, 95% CI: 1.45–17.1, P = 0.021) increased significantly in the SA group compared to the EA group at 72h. No significant differences were observed in VAS scores (12 h: MD −0.27, 95% CI: −0.8 to 0.2, P = 0.572; 72h: MD −0.50, 95% CI: −0.4 to 0.3, P = 0.238).ConclusionThis study confirmed that electroacupuncture reduced the incidence of new-onset AF in the perioperative period, providing a possible complementary therapy for the prevention of arrhythmia after lung cancer surgery.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=127920, identifier ChiCTR2100047499.