Effect of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation of Acupoints on Respiratory Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients with Moderate Pulmonary Involvement: A Parallel Randomized Clinical Trial

Background And Aims: Experiencing respiratory symptoms, especially dyspnea and decreased oxygen saturation (SpO) level in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with increased mortality. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation of acupoints (Acu-TENS) on the respiratory outcomes of COVID-19 patients with moderate pulmonary involvement.

Methods: In these three-blind parallel randomized clinical trials, 84 patients with COVID-19 admitted to a referral hospital were selected by the convenience sampling method. Participants were randomly assigned to Acu-TENS ( = 42) and control ( = 42) groups. The Acu-TENS group received Acu-TENS over the EX-B1 (Dingchuan) acupuncture point for 45 min for four consecutive days, while participants in the control group received no intervention. Participants' respiratory outcomes, including oxygen saturation, vital signs, and the severity of dyspnea, were evaluated before and after each intervention on four consecutive days. In addition, the need for mechanical ventilation on Days 4, 8, and 12 and the disease's outcome (death or survival) were recorded in SPSS software version 16, and finally, data were analyzed using an independent samples -test.

Results: SpO, the number of patients without the need for mechanical ventilation, and patient survival after the intervention were significantly higher in the Acu-TENS group compared with the control group (<0.001). However, respiratory rate, heart rate, and the severity of dyspnea after the intervention were not significantly different between the two groups ( > 0.05).

Conclusion: The use of Acu-TENS could improve SpO as a respiratory outcome of patients with COVID-19 with moderate pulmonary involvement and it can be used as a therapeutic intervention.