Effects of Ten Different Acupuncture Treatments for Angina Pectoris —A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effects of different acupuncture treatments on Angina Pectoris. Design: Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and OVID) were searched from the earliest available dates to August 1, 2023, and only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Version 2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) was used to examine methodological quality, and Stata 15.1, Engauge Digitizer 11.3, and Office 2019 were used to process the data. Results: A total of 26 RCTs with 1747 patients were included. The network meta-analysis showed that acupoint application significantly reduced patients’ Angina Scores (AS) (surface under the cumulative ranking curve [SUCRA]: 74.1%) and improved patients’ Pain Scores (PS) (SUCRA: 100.0%). Cupping significantly improved the patients’ laboratory results and other tests (LOT) (SUCRA: 60.0%). Electroacupuncture significantly improved the patients’ Quality of Life (QoL) (SUCRA: 54.3%). Acupuncture significantly improved patients’ Exercise Tests (ET) (SUCRA: 66.7%) and the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) (SUCRA: 93.2%). Auricular acupuncture significantly improved patients’ Anxiety and Depression Scores (ADS) (SUCRA, 79.5%). Conclusion: Different acupuncture treatments offer advantages for different aspects of angina pectoris, according to the Ranking Plot of the Network.