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Efficacy and safety of acupuncture in preterm and term infants
Wolfgang Raith1, Berndt Urlesberger, Georg M Schmölzer
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 30, 8036 Graz, Austria ; Research Group for Paediatric Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM Research Centre Graz (Acupuncture Research), Medical University of Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 30, 8036 Graz, Austria.
Insights
Acupuncture may be a safe, non-drug option for infant colic and pain relief in newborns. Further research is needed to confirm long-term effects and ensure proper training for practitioners.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- Pediatric pain management
Background:
- Infantile colic and procedural pain are common concerns in newborns.
- Non-pharmacologic interventions are sought for infant pain management.
- Acupuncture's role in neonatal care requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on the safety and efficacy of acupuncture in term and preterm infants.
- To identify studies evaluating acupuncture for infantile colic and procedural pain.
- To assess the current evidence base for acupuncture in neonatal populations.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register.
- Inclusion of abstracts from Pediatric Academic Society meetings (2000-2012).
- Manual reference searching of relevant reviews and exclusion of non-English studies.
Main Results:
- Only four studies met the inclusion criteria after an extensive search.
- Three studies focused on infantile colic, and one on pain reduction in preterm infants.
- Limited data suggests acupuncture may be a safe non-pharmacologic option for infant pain and colic.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture shows potential as a safe, non-pharmacologic treatment for pain and colic in infants.
- Current use should be restricted to clinical trials assessing short- and long-term outcomes.
- Neonatal/pediatric acupuncture should only be performed by highly trained and experienced practitioners.
Abstract:
The aim of the paper was to review the literature about safety and efficiency of acupuncture therapy in term and preterm infants. We searched Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials using a predefined algorithm, reviewed abstracts from the Pediatric Academic Society annual meetings (2000-2012), and performed a manual search of references in narrative and systematic reviews. A total of 26 studies identified met our search criteria. Only 6 of these studies met our inclusion criteria; however, two studies had to be excluded because the manuscripts were published in Chinese. Hence, only four studies were included in our analysis. Three of the four studies evaluated the effects of acupuncture on infantile colic, and one assessed pain reduction during minor painful procedures in preterm babies. The limited data available suggests that acupuncture could be a safe nonpharmacologic treatment option for pain reduction in term and preterm infants and could also be a non-pharmacologic treatment option to treat infantile colic. Currently acupuncture in infants should be limited to clinical trials and studies evaluating short- and long-term effects and should be performed only by practitioners with adequate training and experience in neonatal/pediatric acupuncture.
