Effect of a single acupuncture treatment on surgical wound healing in dogs: a randomized, single blinded, controlled pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture on wound healing after soft tissue or orthopaedic surgery in dogs.Methods29 dogs were submitted to soft tissue and/or orthopaedic surgeries. Five dogs had two surgical wounds each, so there were totally 34 wounds in the study. All owners received instructions for post operative care as well as antibiotic and pain treatment. The dogs were randomly assigned to treatment or control groups. Treated dogs received one dry needle acupuncture treatment right after surgery and the control group received no such treatment. A veterinary surgeon that was blinded to the treatment, evaluated the wounds at three and seven days after surgery in regard to oedema (scale 0-3), scabs (yes/no), exudate (yes/no), hematoma (yes/no), dermatitis (yes/no), and aspect of the wound (dry/humid).ResultsThere was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups in the variables evaluated three and seven days after surgery. However, oedema reduced significantly in the group treated with acupuncture at seven days compared to three days after surgery, possibly due the fact that there was more oedema in the treatment group at day three (although this difference was nor significant between groups).ConclusionsThe use of a single acupuncture treatment right after surgery in dogs did not appear to have any beneficial effects in surgical wound healing.

Evaluation of primary wound healing and potential complications after perioperative infiltration with lidocaine without adrenaline in surgical incisions in dogs and cats

“…Surgical, incisional wound evaluation lacks validated protocols for companion animals, and the evaluation is subjective thus increasing the risk for bias despite blinding. However, similar protocols have been reported earlier [ 17 , 18 ].…”

“…Although there is no validated protocol for owners evaluating surgical wounds, scoring of swelling, redness, and discharge has been reported successfully for wound healing evaluation by owners [ 17 , 18 ].…”

Evaluation of the Relationship of Serum Lactate Concentration and Blood pH on Surgical Wound Healing in Cats Submitted to Total Mastectomy as an Animal Model

“…Wound healing is a complex physiological process, of great importance in surgery and medicine, involving tissue repair and regeneration and aiming to restore the normal function and structural integrity of tissues after lesional stimulation. [1][2][3][4] It can be described as evolving different and very dynamic phases or stages. [5] Generally, four overlapping phases are considered, as follows: 1) the haemostasis and coagulation phase; 2) the inflammatory phase; the 3) proliferative phase; and 4) the remodelling and maturation phase.…”

Electroacupuncture

“…7,8 The biological effects of electroacupuncture on wound healing have been described through small-scale mechanistic and animal model studies. The literature offers conflicting evidence regarding the potential benefits of acupuncture, particularly when used in isolation without concurrent electrical stimulation.…”