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Table 1. Characteristics of Selected Studies

Age (y) Duration of Symptoms (d)
Mean ± SD or Range Mean ± SD or Range Intervention Control Treatments Needle
Intervention Control Intervention Control Group Group Control Duration of Retention
Study Group Group Group Group n n Intervention Group Group Intervention (d) Time (min)
Ding 19 (2002) 37.15 ± 14.11 35.87 ± 13.93 NA 30 30 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 25 30
Fu 20 (2009) 41.8 ± 18.5 36.8 ± 18.5 10.4 ± 6.7 12.9 ± 7.0 16 16 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Ge 21 (2014) 32.0 6 ± 3.18 31.26 ± 4.25 NA 23 23 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 60
Guo 22 (2016) 35.2 ± 8.43 33.7 ± 7.56 NA 30 30 Ac plus CT CT 28 30
He J 23 (2004) 31.3 ± 10 28.4 ± 14 5 to 20 7 to 24 15 15 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 28 NA
He X 24 (2012) 12 to 70 NA 30 20 Ac, twice daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Hou 25 (2008) 42 ± 9.8/41 ± 8.8 40 ± 8.1 NA 80 40 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 60 NA
Liu W 26 (2015) 15 to 70 31 to 137 40 40 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 NA
Liu JP 27 (2010) 32.6 ± 15.3 31.9 ± 15.8 NA 15 14 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT NA 30
Liu SS 28 (2006) 18 to 58 35 to 128 50 50 Ac , once daily plus CT CT 30 30
Liu YY 29 (2016) 38.61 ± 4.65 36.92 ± 4.87 NA 42 43 Ac plus CT CT 30 NA
Lu CJ 30 (2014) 34 ± 16 33 ± 16 NA 20 20 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT NA 30
Lu TD 31 (2015) 39.6 ± 1.5 30.21 ± 1.8 NA 37 37 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Lv 32 (2013) 42.5 ± 12.7 41.7 ± 13.2 8.5 ± 4.2 8.2 ± 3.9 43 42 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 90 60
Peng 33 (2010) 39.1 ± 12.2 40.2 ± 9.8 8.3 ± 3.7 7.9 ± 4.1 29 27 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 90 120
Song 34 (2007) 12 to 70 NA 30 20 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Sun 35 (2009) 45.2 (average) 39.8 (average) NA 30 30 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 60
Wang 42 (2016) 42.36 ± 16.11 43.10 ± 15.33 14.72 ± 11.08 13.98 ± 11.56 50 50 Ac , once daily, plus CT CT 21 NA
Xie 36 (2016) 39.5(average) 36.9 (average) NA 32 32 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Xu 37 (2014) 39.75 ± 17.86 38.64 ± 19.2 9.6 ± 2.03 8.79 ± 1.78 31 29 Ac, twice daily, plus CT CT 14 NA
Zhang Y 38 (2011) 41.43 ± 1.31/ 46.25 ± 1.31 NA 43 20 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30 (T2)
43.50 ± 1.27
Zhang YM 39 (2013) 37.1 ± 9.1 37.2 ± 10.1 9.1 ± 4.0 9.3 ± 3.7 30 30 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 30 30
Zhao 40 (2017) 15 to 60 NA 32 32 AC plus HO and CT CT plus HO 180 30
Zhou 41 (2006) 33.9 ± 11.2 34.1 ± 12.1 NA 30 30 Ac, once daily, plus CT CT 21 3

Abbreviations: Ac, acupuncture; CT, conventional treatment; HO, hyperbaric oxygen; SD, standard deviation; NA, not
available.

Figure 1. Flow Chart Summarizing the Selection Process for meta-analyses. The team calculated continuous outcomes
with a weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI
Records identified through database searching (N = 884) (confidence interval). For dichotomous data, a risk ratio (RR)
and 95% CI were used to express the results. The team
performed a meta-analysis when the outcomes had at least
Records after duplicates removed (n = 538)
2 studies contributing data, if they were deemed to be
Excluded (n = 466) homogeneous enough. I² was illustrated as indicative of little
• Animals text (n = 162) heterogeneity if it was 25% or lower, medium heterogeneity if
Records screened (n = 538) • Not related coma after
TBI (n = 221) it was approximately 50%, and certain heterogeneity if it was
45
• Not related Ac (n = 44) 75% or higher. The fixed-effects model was used when the
• Not clinical trial (n = 39) heterogeneity was calculated as an I² statistical value of less
than 50%; otherwise, the research team used a random,
Full-text articles excluded
Full-text articles assessed (n = 48) effects model for analysis.
for eligibility (n = 72) Subgroup Analysis. If data were sufficient, the research
• NOT RCTs (n = 1)
• NOT full-text (n = 4) team intended to carry out subgroup analyses based on
• NOT proper frequency, duration, and geographic location of acupuncture
intervention (n = 43) to verify whether the treatment effects differed between
Studies included in subgroups.
qualitative synthesis (n = 24)
Potential Publication. If 1 outcome included 10 trials or
more, the potential publication bias was evaluated with a
funnel plot. 46
Studies included in
qualitative synthesis
(meta-analysis) (n = 24) RESULTS
Descriptions
Abbreviations: RTC, randomized controlled trial; TBI, The literature search initially yielded 884 relevant trials.
traumatic brain injury. After removal of duplicates, 538 potentially relevant records

52 ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES, JUL/AUG 2020 VOL. 26 NO. 4 Zhang—Acupuncture for Patients in Coma After TBI