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Acupuncture for pain control after Caesarean section: a prospective observational pilot study
Thomas Hesse1, Berthold Henkel1, Marek Zygmunt2
1Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Medicine, University Medicine of Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
Summary
Acupuncture is a well-accepted additional pain relief method for patients after Caesarean section (CS). This pilot study found it feasible and well-tolerated, paving the way for future trials on acupuncture for postpartum pain management.
Area of Science:
- Anesthesiology
- Pain Management
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Background:
- Pharmacological pain relief options after Caesarean section (CS) can be limited.
- Acupuncture shows promise as a complementary therapy for managing postoperative pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of acupuncture as an additional analgesia method in patients undergoing CS.
- To gather preliminary data for sample size calculation in future randomized controlled trials.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational pilot study involving 22 patients scheduled for elective CS under spinal anesthesia.
- Patients received auricular and body acupuncture with 20 indwelling needles.
- Pain intensity (VRS-11), side effects, mobilization time, catheter removal time, patient satisfaction (VRS-5), and compliance were recorded.
Main Results:
- Twenty patients completed the study; one experienced paresthesia. The remaining patients tolerated acupuncture well.
- Postoperative pain intensity on movement decreased from 4.3±2.4 on day 1 to 2.2±1.2 at discharge.
- Patient satisfaction (1.9±0.8) and compliance (1.5±0.5) were high.
Conclusions:
- Acupuncture was well-accepted as an additional analgesia option for postpartum CS patients.
- The study demonstrated the feasibility of outcome measurements for future research.
- Findings support the potential of acupuncture in enhancing postoperative pain management after CS.
