Acupuncture as a Complementary Treatment Modality in the Post-Anesthesia Care Setting: A Feasibility Study

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Pain Management
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Postoperative pain, nausea, and vomiting (PONV) present ongoing clinical challenges.
• Acupuncture offers a safe and effective complementary therapy for pain and nausea management.
• Its role in immediate postoperative care requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility and feasibility of acupuncture in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU).
• To assess patient and nurse satisfaction with acupuncture for managing postoperative symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study comparing 22 patients receiving acupuncture in the PACU with 88 controls.
• Data collected included pain scores, nausea incidence, opioid consumption, and length of stay.
• Patient and PACU nurse perspectives were gathered via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• 78.9% of patients receiving acupuncture reported symptom improvement.
• 94.7% of recovery nurses found acupuncture helpful and not disruptive.
• Acupuncture patients had higher PACU pain scores and postoperative opioid consumption, but no difference in total perioperative opioid use.

Conclusions:

• Acupuncture is a feasible and satisfactory option for patients in the PACU.
• Most recovery nurses perceive acupuncture as beneficial and non-disruptive.
• Further research may clarify acupuncture's role in multimodal postoperative pain management.