{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,12]],"date-time":"2026-03-12T01:20:36Z","timestamp":1773278436004,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Hogrefe Publishing Group","issue":"6","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vasa"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p> Abstract. Background: Auricular nerve stimulation has been proven effective in different diseases. We investigated if a conservative therapeutic alternative for claudication in peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) via electroacupuncture of the outer ear can be established. Patients and methods: In this prospective, double-blinded trial an ear acupuncture using an electroacupuncture device was carried out in 40 PAD patients in Fontaine stage IIb. Twenty patients were randomized to the verum group using a fully functional electroacupuncture device, the other 20 patients received a sham device (control group). Per patient, eight cycles (1 cycle = 1 week) of electroacupuncture were performed. The primary endpoint was defined as a significantly more frequent doubling of the absolute walking distance after eight cycles in the verum group compared to controls in a standardized treadmill testing. Secondary endpoints were a significant improvement of the total score of the Walking Impairment Questionnaire (WIQ) as well as improvements in health related quality of life using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). Results: There were no differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. The initial walking distance significantly increased in both groups (verum group [means]: 182 [95 % CI 128\u2013236] meters to 345 [95 % CI 227\u2013463] meters [+ 90 %], p &lt; 0.01; control group [means]: 159 [95 % CI 109\u2013210] meters to 268 [95 % CI 182\u2013366] meters [+ 69 %], p = 0.01). Twelve patients (60 %) in the verum group and five patients (25 %) in controls reached the primary endpoint of doubling walking distance (p = 0.05). The total score of WIQ significantly improved in the verum group (+ 22 %, p = 0.01) but not in controls (+ 8 %, p = 0.56). SF-36 showed significantly improvements in six out of eight categories in the verum group and only in one of eight in controls. Conclusions: Electroacupuncture of the outer ear seems to be an easy-to-use therapeutic option in an age of increasingly invasive and mechanically complex treatments for PAD patients. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1024\/0301-1526\/a000660","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,18]],"date-time":"2017-09-18T15:05:25Z","timestamp":1505747125000},"page":"462-470","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Auricular vagal nerve stimulation in peripheral arterial disease                     patients"],"prefix":"10.1024","volume":"46","author":[{"given":"Gerald","family":"Hackl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"Prenner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Philipp","family":"Jud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Franz","family":"Hafner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Rief","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gerald","family":"Seinost","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ernst","family":"Pilger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marianne","family":"Brodmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Angiology, Medical University                     of Graz, Graz, Austria"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"101","container-title":["Vasa"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/econtent.hogrefe.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1024\/0301-1526\/a000660","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,16]],"date-time":"2021-03-16T19:23:15Z","timestamp":1615922595000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/econtent.hogrefe.com\/doi\/10.1024\/0301-1526\/a000660"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,1]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1024\/0301-1526\/a000660"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1024\/0301-1526\/a000660","relation":{},"ISSN":["0301-1526","1664-2872"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0301-1526","type":"print"},{"value":"1664-2872","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,1]]}}}