Electroacupuncture and Postoperative Pain

Abstract

We studied 20 otherwise healthy women undergoing lower abdominal surgery. Immediately after wound closure, while still anaesthetized, they received either electroacupuncture (EA) or no further treatment. They were allowed pethidine for postoperative analgesia by patient-controlled infusion pump. Signs of postoperative distress (pain, nausea, drowsiness) were evaluated after 2 and 6 h by visual analogue scale scores. The group receiving EA consumed half the quantity of pethidine as that used used by the no treatment group. Two patients in the EA group had no postoperative analgesia in the first 2 h. There was no difference in the assessments of postoperative distress between groups. No patient was aware of having received EA or not.

Acupuncture fails to reduce but increases anaesthetic gas required to prevent movement in response to surgical incision

“…To our knowledge five prospective, controlled studies on acupuncture for postoperative pain relief are reported in such detail that reproduction would be possible (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). An analgesic effect of acupuncture was found in three of these studies (1, 2, 5) but not in the other two (3,4).…”

“…# Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica 47 (2003) R EPORTS have differed as to the clinical value of acupuncture, since the method was introduced as an anaesthetic technique in China in 1958 (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). One factor contributing to difficulties associated with clinical studies on acupuncture is the technical problem regarding blinding (6).…”

“…Acupuncture fails to reduce but increases anaesthetic gas required to prevent movement in response to surgical incision N. KVORNING 1 , C. CHRISTIANSSON 1 , A. BESKOW 1 , O. BRATT 2 and J. Å KESON 3 Departments of 1 Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and 2 Urology, Hospital of Helsingborg, Helsingborg, and 3 Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden Background: Acupuncture is used for clinical pain relief but has not been evaluated under clinical anaesthesia. This study was designed to compare movement in response to surgical incision in anaesthetized patients subjected to electroacupuncture (EA) or sham procedures.…”

Postoperative Analgesia Effect of Acupuncture Practice in Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Surgery

“…Bu etkiyi kapı-kontrol teorisi ile açıklayan ça-lışmalar vardır. [4][5][6][7] Endorfin, enkefalin, dinorfin gibi endojen opioid salınımı da akupunktur analjesine katkıda bulunabilir. Akupunkturda birçok uygulama tekniği bulunmaktadır.…”

Acupuncture Analgesia Research and Clinical Practice in Taiwan

“…In addition, pain stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and causes increases in the heart rate, blood pressure, sweat production, and endocrine hyperfunction, and delays the patient′s prognosis (Edwards, et al, 2007;Kumar&Wilson, 2007). To date, only a few studies have investigated the effects of acupuncture on postoperative pain and have shown conflicting results (Christensen, et al, 1989;Christensen, et al, 1993;Galloway, et al, 1984;Martelete&Fiori, 1985). A critical difference among these studies was the stimulation modality and the lack of a sham control.…”