AUTHOR=Li Yanda , Barajas-Martinez Hector , Li Bo , Gao Yonghong , Zhang Zhenpeng , Shang Hongcai , Xing Yanwei , Hu Dan 

TITLE=Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Antiarrhythmic Drugs for the Prevention of Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2017

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00358

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2017.00358

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction and Objectives:</bold> This study was designed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for arrhythmia compared to existing drug therapy.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified through searches of the MEDLINE, CNKI, Embase, and Cochrane databases (1970 through 2016) and hand searches of cross-references from original articles and reviews. Clinical trials that randomized arrhythmia patients to acupuncture therapy vs. conventional drugs, sham acupuncture, or bed rest were included for analysis.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> A total of 13 trials with 797 patients met the criteria for analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference between acupuncture and conventional treatment for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) (<italic>n</italic> = 203; RR, 1.18; 95% CI 0.78–1.79; <italic>I</italic><sup>2</sup> = 80%; <italic>P</italic> = 0.44). However, in the ventricular premature beat (VPB) group, it showed a significant benefit of acupuncture plus oral administration of anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) on response rates compared with the oral administration of AAD (<italic>n</italic> = 286; RR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.05–1.27; <italic>I</italic><sup>2</sup> = 0%; <italic>P</italic> = 0.002). Finally, when compared with the sinus tachycardia (ST) cases without any treatment, acupuncture has benefited these patients (<italic>n</italic> = 120; MD, 18.80, 95% CI 12.68–24.92; <italic>I</italic><sup>2</sup> = 81%; <italic>P</italic> &lt; 0.00001).</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> In summary, our meta-analysis demonstrates that clinical efficacy of acupuncture is not less than AAD for PSVT. Furthermore, in sub-group analysis, acupuncture with or without AAD, shows a clear benefit in treating VPB and ST. However, more definitive RCTs are warranted to guide clinical practice.</p>