Acupuncture reduces the time to discharge following anaesthesia and gynaecological laparoscopy, reports a research team based in Switzerland and Germany. A randomised trial involving 75 women evaluated the effects of acupuncture combined with a standardised anaesthetic regimen compared to either acupressure, or standard anaesthesia alone. At the time of the pre-anaesthetic visit, 12–24 hours prior to surgery, patients in the intervention groups received a standardised treatment with either 12 press needles or adhesive press plasters at Renzhong DU-26, Shanzhong REN-17 and bilateral Hegu L.I.-4, Shenmen HE-7, Taichong LIV-3, Zusanli ST-36 and Neiguan P-6. Needles or plasters were left in place for 72–96 hours, covering the whole perioperative period, and patients were instructed to press the needles or plasters as often as they wanted, especially when suffering from anxiety, pain, or nausea and vomiting. During emergence, the trial team stimulated the acupoint Renzhong DU-26. Median time to discharge in the acupuncture group was 16 minutes (35%) shorter than in the control group (46 minutes), and tended to be shorter than in the acupressure group (43 minutes). Compared to controls, median time to extubation (removal of the endotracheal tube) was approximately seven minutes shorter in both acupuncture and acupressure groups.
Authors: Fleckenstein J1,2, Baeumler P3, Gurschler C3, Weissenbacher T4, Annecke T3,5, Geisenberger T3,6, Irnich D3.
Published in: Sci Rep. 2018 Oct 24;8(1):15734. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-33459-y.
Quelle: www.jcm.co.uk