A systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials with 865 patients investigated the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for septic gastrointestinal dysfunction. Combining acupuncture with standard treatment effectively reduced intra-abdominal pressure, degree of gastrointestinal damage, disease severity score (APACHE II), and abdominal circumference compared with standard treatment alone. At the same time, the frequency of intestinal sounds increased, which indicates an improvement in intestinal motility. The study did not show a significant difference in 28-day mortality between groups or in the number of adverse events, indicating good safety of acupuncture. However, the authors point out that the insufficient sample size may have affected the mortality results. Further multicenter, double-blind, controlled studies are needed to confirm these findings.