Research: WANG and KAIN,

Listed in Issue 83

Abstract

WANG and KAIN, Department of Anaesthesiology, Pediatrics and Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8051, USA, E: shu-ming@yale.edu, report that P6 acupuncture injections are as effective as droperidol in controlling early postoperative nausea and vomiting in children.

Background

P6 acupuncture is known to be an effective preventive treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting in adults . It is not clear whether the same is true in children .

Methodology

Children undergoing anaesthesia and surgery were randomized to four groups: a) intravenous (IV) saline + bilateral P6 acupoint injection (50 children); b) IV droperidol + bilateral P6 sham acupoint injections (49 children); c) IV saline + bilateral sham point injections (43 children); d) IV saline + bilateral P6 sham acupuncture (45 children). Perioperative anaesthesia was standardized in all children. The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was evaluated at 24 hours post surgery. Nausea was significantly lower in the acupoint group (32%) as compared to the sham point group (56%; p = 0.029) and P6 sham group (64%, p = 0.002) but not compared to the droperidol group (32%). Similarly vomiting was reduced in the P6 acupoint group (12%) as compared to the sham point group (31%, p = 0.026) and the P6 sham group (31%, p = 0.029) but not as compared to the droperidol group (18%). Significantly fewer children in the acupoint group required IV ondansetron as an initial rescue therapy (p = 0.024). At 24 hours after surgery, the incidence of late postoperative nausea and vomiting was comparable in all four groups.

Results

Conclusion

P6 acupoint injections are as effective as droperidol in controlling early postoperative nausea and vomiting in children .

References

Wang SM, Kain ZN. P6 acupoint injections are as effective as droperidol in controlling early postoperative nausea and vomiting in children. Anesthesiology 97 (2): 359-366, Aug 2002.

Comment

The above published research provides an indication of the scale of research ongoing regarding the clinical efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of a variety of conditions.

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