The efficacy and safety of acupoint application for cirrhotic ascites: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Cirrhotic ascites significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and poses seri-ous clinical challenges. Conventional treatments, such as diuresis and ab-dominocentesis, are costly and prone to recurrence. Acupoint application, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) external therapy, offers a safe, painless, and cost-effective alternative widely used in clinical practice. However, its efficacy and safety lack systematic evaluation. This study aims to compre-hensively assess the effectiveness and safety of acupoint application for treating cirrhotic ascites through a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials retrieved from databases including CNKI, VIP, WanFang, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. The findings will provide evidence to guide clinical decision-making.