Description The auricular acupuncture group received acupuncture at 3 acupuncture points ipsilateral to the surgery site: knee joint, shenmen and lung.
Experimental Description
One hundred and twenty patients undergoing ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery under standardized general anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive auricular acupuncture or a control procedure.Intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients from the control group (n = 59) required more ibuprofen than patients from the auricular acupuncture group (n = 61)
Sample Count
120
Age
18-70
Control
Std
control group(n=59)
Experiment
acupuncture group(n=61)
Indicator
Visual analog scale(VAS)Ibuprofen requirementBlood pressure(BP)Heart rate(HR)
Auxiliary Medication
ibuprofen (single-dose, 200-mg tablets) and tramadol (50-mg tablets)
Stimulation Method
MS
Induction Method
Electroacupuncture Instrument Model
Manufacturer
Frequency
Waveform
Strength
Induction Time
-
-
-
-
-
Fixed indwelling acupuncture needles were inserted before surgery and retained in situ until the following morning.
Acupuncture_Needle
Needle_Manufacturer
Needle_Depth
0.22×1.5 mm
-
-
Description Disposable fixed indwelling steel auricular acupuncture needles (0.22 mm diameter and 1.5 mm long) were inserted before surgery, fixed with skin-coloured adhesive tape and retained in situ until the following morning. The auricular acupuncture group received acupuncture at 3 acupuncture points ipsilateral to the surgery site: knee joint, shenmen and lung. Three nonacupuncture points of the helix ipsilateral to the site of surgery were used for the invasive needle control.
Anesthesia Method
AAA
Clinical Trial Type
random
Adverse Effects
One patient in the control group associated postoperative dizziness and nausea with acupuncture. Ten minutes after withdrawal of the needles the symptoms disappeared and the patient was discharged. Another patient in the control group reported that the needles produced localized pain at the sites of insertion and disturbed sleep.
Contraindications
Exclusion criteria were age younger than 18 years or older than 70 years; American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status III (severe systemic disease with functional limitation); history of opioid, sedative or hypnotic medication or excess alcohol use; inability to understand the consent form or how to use a visual analogue scale for pain measurement; local auricular infection or significant auricular deformation; or presence of prosthetic cardiac valves
Effector
Intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients from the control group (n= 59) required more ibuprofen than patients from the auricular acupuncture group (n= 61): median (interquartile range) 600 (200–800) v. 200 (0–600) mg (p=0.012). Pain intensity on a visual analogue scale was similar in both groups at all time points registered. The majority of patients in both groups believed that they had received true acupuncture and wanted to repeat it in future.Auricular acupuncture reduced the requirement for ibuprofen after ambulatory knee surgery relative to an invasive needle control procedure.
Auricular acupuncture for pain relief after ambulatory knee surgery: a randomized trial.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Auricular acupuncture is a promising method for postoperative pain relief. However, there is no evidence for its use after ambulatory surgery. Our aim was to test whether auricular acupuncture is better than invasive needle control for complementary analgesia after ambulatory knee surgery. METHODS: One hundred and twenty patients undergoing ambulatory arthroscopic knee surgery under standardized general anesthesia were randomly assigned to receive auricular acupuncture or a control procedure. Fixed indwelling acupuncture needles were inserted before surgery and retained in situ until the following morning. Postoperative rescue analgesia was directed to achieve pain intensity less than 40 mm on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. The primary outcome measure was the postoperative requirement for ibuprofen between surgery and examination the following morning. RESULTS: Intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients from the control group (n = 59) required more ibuprofen than patients from the auricular acupuncture group (n = 61): median (interquartile range) 600 (200-800) v. 200 (0-600) mg (p = 0.012). Pain intensity on a visual analogue scale was similar in both groups at all time points registered. The majority of patients in both groups believed that they had received true acupuncture and wanted to repeat it in future. INTERPRETATION: Auricular acupuncture reduced the requirement for ibuprofen after ambulatory knee surgery relative to an invasive needle control procedure."
Souce
CMAJ. 2007 Jan 16;176(2):179-83. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.060875.
