Effects of Auricular Acupressure on the Management of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting After Gynecological Laparoscopic Surgeries
Condition: Laparoscopic Surgery; PONV; Auricular Acupressure
MeSH terms: Vomiting; Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Auricular acupressure is easily accessible and easily performed, and can significantly
      relieve PONV symptoms, and improve patient's satisfaction in women receiving general
      anesthesia for gynecological surgeries. This makes it an economically-beneficial supplemental
      therapy, worthy of promoting for patients receiving general anesthesia.
    

Detailed description: 
      Background: Post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is common after surgery and anesthesia.
      Studies have indicated that females receiving gynecological surgeries have a higher incidence
      of PONV compared to other surgical patients. PONV not only causes discomfort, but may also
      lead to serious complications, affecting health outcomes. Currently, no single medication has
      shown universal efficacy for the prevention and treatment of PONV, thus it is empirical for
      the exploration of non-pharmaceutical methods for PONV management.

      Purposes: The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy of auricular acupressure on the
      reduction of PONV, post-operative anxiety, vital signs stability (respiration, heart rate,
      and blood pressure), and overall improvement of patient satisfaction.

      Methods: This study design was a randomized clinical trial, with the study population of
      patients with gynecological laparoscopic surgeries between the ages of 20 to 50, receiving
      general anesthesia for laparoscopic surgery. A total of 82 patients were enrolled, who were
      randomly allocated into the control and experimental groups using Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
      software, with 40 patients in each group, after 2 patients were excluded. Demographic Survey
      and Hospital Anxiety Scale (Anxiety- HADS-A) were completed prior to surgery. Both group of
      patients received the auricular pellet acupressure after the first measurement of vital signs
      upon entry into the post-anesthesia care unit. The control group were given sham intervention
      of single ear auricular pellet acupressure at the knee(AH4) and thoracic vertebrae(AH11)
      acupuncture points, while the experimental group were given therapeutic intervention of
      single ear auricular pellet acupressure at the stomach(CO4), cardia(CO3), liver(CO12),
      occiput(AT3), shenmen(TF4) and subcortex(AT4) acupuncture points. The Index of Nausea,
      Vomiting, and Retching (INVR) and vital signs were surveyed 8 hours after surgery. The same
      was process was repeated 24 hours after surgery, along with Hospital Anxiety Scale (Anxiety-
      HADS-A) and anesthesia satisfaction surveys. The auricular acupressure were removed after 24
      hours. Data was processed using SPSS version 26.0 statistical analysis package software,
      using independent samples t-test and chi-square test to identify differences between the two
      groups, and perform post-interventional effectiveness analysis with generalized estimating
      equations (GEE).
    

Intervention name(s): auricular acupressure; sham auricular acupressure
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The experimental group were given therapeutic intervention of single ear auricular pellet acupressure at the stomach(CO4), cardia(CO3), liver(CO12), occiput(AT3), shenmen(TF4) and subcortex(AT4) acupuncture points; The control group were given sham intervention of single ear auricular pellet acupressure at the knee(AH4) and thoracic vertebrae(AH11) acupuncture points
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Investigator)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: gynecological laparoscopic surgery; auricular acupressure; complementary therapy; PONV; general anesthesia