Effect of acupuncture combined with spiral nasojejunal intubation on enteral nutrition in critically ill patients

Objective: To investigate the effect of the combination therapy of acupuncture and spiral nasojejunal tubes on enteral nutrition in critically ill patients. Methods: During the period from January 2014 to December 2016, 70 critically ill patients with nutritional disorders admitted to the intensive care units in Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital were enrolled as subjects. They were subdivided into the experiment group and the control group in terms of the random number table. The patients in the control group received conventional blind insertion of spinal nasojejunal tubes, whereas those in the experiment group received acupuncture therapy following blind insertion of spinal nasojejunal tubes. Success of intubation, the velocity of propelling nasojejunal tubes in the gastrointestinal tract, the intubation-related complications as well as the changes in the nutrition predictors after intubation were compared between the two groups. Results: The rate of successful nasojejunal tube placement in the experiment group was remarkably higher than that in the control group (P= 0.019). At 24 h after intubation, the proportions of patients with the tip of nasojejunal tubes reaching the pylorus, the superior and descending, the horizontal part and the ascending part of the duodenum and beyond were substantially different between the two groups (All P= 0.000). Besides, the incidence of intubation-related complications including vomiting, aspiration and gastric retention was also markedly different (All P= 0.000). The rates of intubation-associated complications, vomiting, aspiration and gastric retention respectively were strikingly different between the two groups (All P= 0.000). When compared with the control group, the serum albumin and prealbumin levels of the patients in the experiment group were significantly higher after intubation (All P< 0.001). Conclusion: Acupuncture-combined spiral nasojejunal tube placement promotes the rate of successful intubation, accelerates the velocity of propelling nasojejunal tubes, and improves the intubation-related complications and nutrition predictors, thereby enhancing the efficiency of enteral nutrition in critically ill patients.