Abstract:Objective To investigate the efficacy of conventional treatment and nursing intervention combined with moxibustion on the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients with cardiac myxoma. Methods A total of 70 patients undergoing cardiac myxoma resection in cardiopulmonary bypass from the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from March 2019 to December 2021 were randomly divided into study group and control group, with 35 cases in each group. The routine treatment and nursing intervention were given in both groups, while moxibustion at bilateral Zusanli, Tianshu, and Shenque acupoints were additionally treated in study group. The recovery of bowel sounds, the first anal exhaust, the first defecation, the incidence of abdominal distention, nausea and vomiting，and postoperative hospital stay were compared between the two groups, and the effects were evaluated. Results The recovery time of bowel sounds, the first defecation time, the incidence of abdominal distention, nausea and vomiting, and postoperative hospital stay in the study group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (P＜0.05). The Acute Gastrointestinal Injury Score (AGIUS) in the study group was significantly lower than that in the control group on the third day after surgery (P＜0.05), and the total effective rate was significantly higher than that in the control group (91.43% vs 71.40%, χ²=4.629, P=0.031). Conclusion For patients undergoing cardiac myxoma resection in cardiopulmonary bypass, moxibustion at Zusanli, Tianshu, and Shenque acupoints can effectively promote the recovery of postoperative gastrointestinal function in addition to routine treatment and nursing interventions, and the operation is simple and feasible.