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Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease  2026, Vol. 7 Issue (5): 648-652    DOI: 10.19983/j.issn.2096-8493.20260183

• Health Care • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of the effect of acupuncture combined with enhanced recovery after surgery nursing on postoperative pulmonary complications, sputum expectoration and postoperative hospital stay in lung cancer patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery

Li Yuping1(), Ma Yuting2   

  1. 1 First Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou 730000, China
    2 Department of Pain Medicine, Lanzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Lanzhou 730050, China
  • Received:2026-07-15 Online:2026-10-20 Published:2026-10-19
  • Contact: Li Yuping E-mail:18793104586@163.com

Abstract:

Objective: To explore the clinical value of acupuncture combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) nursing in the care of patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer. Methods: A prospective study was conducted. A total of 60 patients with lung cancer receiving thoracoscopic surgery admitted to Gansu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2024 to December 2025 were enrolled and divided into observation group and control group by stratified block randomization, with 30 cases in each group. The control group received ERAS nursing alone, while the observation group received additional acupuncture intervention based on the regimen of the control group (main acupoints: Feishu (BL13), Tanzhong (CV17), Tiantu (CV22), Chize (LU5); auxiliary acupoints: Zusanli (ST36), Fenglong (ST40), Neiguan (PC6); once daily from 3 days before surgery to 7 days after surgery). The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, sputum volume and expectoration difficulty score at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after surgery, time to first ambulation after surgery, removal time of closed thoracic drainage tube and postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups. Results: The total incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in the observation group was 6.7% (2/30), which was significantly lower than 26.7% (8/30) in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2=4.320, P=0.037). At 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after surgery, the sputum volume in the observation group ((25.73±3.49) ml, (36.81±4.52) ml, (45.28±5.36) ml, respectively) was significantly higher than that in the control group ((18.42±3.16) ml, (27.65±4.23) ml, (34.16±5.07) ml, respectively), with statistically significant differences (t=8.504, 8.104, 8.255, all P<0.001). The expectoration difficulty scores of the observation group (4.12±0.85, 2.94±0.73, 1.65±0.54, respectively) were significantly lower than those of the control group (7.26±1.14, 5.83±0.96, 3.71±0.82, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant (t=12.095, 13.125, 11.492, all P<0.001). The time to first ambulation, removal time of thoracic drainage tube and postoperative hospital stay in the observation group ((20.43±3.18) h, (3.24±0.51) d, (6.42±0.86) d, respectively) were significantly shorter than those in the control group ((32.16±4.25) h, (4.87±0.62) d, (9.74±1.13) d, respectively), with statistically significant differences (t=12.104, 11.121, 12.805, all P<0.001). Conclusion: Acupuncture combined with ERAS nursing can effectively improve sputum expectoration capacity, reduce the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications, accelerate postoperative rehabilitation and shorten hospital stay in patients after thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery, which is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Key words: Acupuncture, Lung neoplasms, Perioperative nursing, Postoperative complications, Enhanced recovery after surgery

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