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Effectiveness of acupuncture therapy for preventing emergence agitation in children: A protocol for systematic review
Daisuke Nakajima1, Takahiro Mihara1, Toshiyuki Hijikata1
1Department of Health Data Science, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Data Science, Yokohama, Japan.
Insights
This systematic review evaluates acupuncture's effectiveness in preventing emergence agitation in children after general anesthesia. Findings will guide optimized acupuncture protocols for pediatric anesthesia care.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Integrative Medicine
- Pediatric Care
Background:
- Emergence agitation, pain, and autonomic distress are common in children post-general anesthesia.
- Acupuncture shows promise for pain and distress but its role in preventing emergence agitation is uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze randomized controlled trials on acupuncture for preventing emergence agitation in pediatric anesthesia.
- To assess the impact of acupuncture therapy on emergence agitation in children.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines.
- Searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, Web of Science; included randomized controlled trials.
- Used random-effect model for risk ratio of emergence agitation incidence; assessed heterogeneity with I2 statistics.
Main Results:
- This section is to be filled after the study is conducted.
- This section is to be filled after the study is conducted.
Conclusions:
- This meta-analysis will be the first to specifically examine acupuncture for preventing emergence agitation in children.
- Results may identify key factors influencing acupuncture efficacy, aiding in optimizing its use for pediatric anesthesia.
Abstract:
Pain, autonomic distress, and emergence agitation occur commonly in children undergoing general anesthesia. While acupuncture therapy has been reported to effectively reduce such pain and autonomic distress in children, its effect in preventing emergence agitation remains unclear. Therefore, we will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis to evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation in children undergoing general anesthesia. Methods and analysis This protocol was prepared according to the 2015 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for Protocols guidelines. We will conduct a search for randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation. The following databases will be searched for relevant articles: MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Embase, and Web of Science; four pre-registration sites will be accessed from inception to April 1, 2021. No language restrictions will be applied. Two authors will independently scan and select eligible studies, extract the data, and assess the risk of bias. The incidence of emergence agitation will be combined as a risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval using a random-effect model. The I2 statistics will be used to assess heterogeneity. We will evaluate the quality of the clinical trials using the Cochrane methodology and assess the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. If appropriate, a trial sequential analysis will be performed. Expected outcomes This meta-analysis will be the first to evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy in preventing emergence agitation in children. The findings from this meta-analysis have the potential to reveal pivotal factors that affect the clinical effect of acupuncture therapy, thereby supporting the optimization of acupuncture therapy for emergence agitation. Protocol registration University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN000040775).
