Highlight
– A large multicenter randomized trial reported that electroacupuncture (EA) significantly shortened time to first flatus and first defecation and reduced incidence of prolonged postoperative ileus (POI) after laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer.
– EA showed clinically meaningful reductions versus both sham acupuncture (SA) and standard care without serious adverse events, suggesting a low‑risk adjunct to Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways.
– Key next steps include mechanistic biomarker studies, international validation, head‑to‑head comparisons with prokinetics and multimodal analgesia strategies, and standardization of EA protocols for implementation.
