Observation On Time Factors Of Acupuncture Treatment For Acute Cerebral Ischemic Stroke (CIS) Through Orthogonal Design

Object: To study the six factors of affecting the curative effect of acupuncture for acutecerebral ischemic stroke （CIS）, namely intervention juncture, treatment interval, time ofeach treatment, needle manipulation interval, time of each needle manipulation, course oftreatment by orthogonal design. To obtain the optimal combination of the factors, andcompare the differences in efficacy between the two levels of each factors; compareneurologic impairment scores, Barthel Index and the changes in hemorrheology indexbefore and after treatment.Methods: By using six-factor two-level orthogonal design, divide 40 cases of patientsmet the inclusion criteria into groups by the Tab L₈（2⁷）. Using scalp and body acupuncture,combined with the points based on the symptoms and signs. Patients were evaluated beforeand after the treatment by "neurologic impairment scores of patients with stroke "which isagreed on the 4th National Cerebrovascular Conference in 1995. Barthel index andhemorrheology index have been recorded before and after treatment to observe the curativeeffect.Results: According to the neurologic impairment evaluation standard, the overallefficiency rate is 90.00ï¼…. Among the six time factors, intervention juncture, time of eachtreatment, treatment interval, time of each needle manipulation are the significant factors,while needle manipulation interval, course of treatment are insignificant factors. Theoptimal combination of the time factors is: to start treatment within 72 hours, once per day,50 minutes for each treatment, manipulating needles every 30 minutes, one minute for eachneedle-manipulation, 20 days for a course. Patients’ neurological impairment and Barthelindex scores showed significant improvement compared between before and after treatment;only the changes of blood hematocrit and relatively high shear viscosity were significant inthe Hemorrheology index. Conclusions: Intervention juncture, time of each treatment, treatment interval, time ofeach needle manipulation are the significant time factors in acupuncture for acute CIS. Theoptimal combination of the time factors is: to start treatment within 72 hours, once per day50 minutes for each treatment, manipulating needles every 30 minutes, one minute for eachneedle-manipulation, 20 days for a course. Acupuncture can improve neurological functionand the ADL in patients with CIS. Acupuncture can improve the blood hematocrit andrelatively high shear viscosity in patients with CIS.