OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of electroacupuncture on respiratory mechanics in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.

METHODS A total of 92 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome who were hospitalized in the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Jiangsu Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine from February 2024 to December 2025 were selected. They were randomly divided into experimental group and control group, with 46 cases in each group. On the basis of standard treatment, the experimental group was treated with electroacupuncture, and the control group was treated with placebo needle simulated intervention, once a day for 30 minutes each time for 7 consecutive days. Blood gas analysis, respiratory mechanics, clinical efficacy, mechanical ventilation time and extubation rate, organ dysfunction, discharge rate, 60-day survival rate and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.

RESULTS After 7 days of treatment, the experimental group showed significantly better results than the control group in terms of oxygenation index, partial pressure of oxygen, static lung compliance, total effective rate, and 28-day extubation rate (P<0.05, P<0.01); and the improvement of oxygenation index was an independent predictor of extubation success (P<0.05). No acupuncture-related adverse reactions were reported in either group during the trial.

CONCLUSION Electroacupuncture can alleviate clinical symptoms and improve the extubation rate of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome by regulating respiratory mechanics and gas exchange, which demonstrates considerable clinical value.