To evaluate the Utility of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) in Ambulatory Surgery.
Prospective, randomized, comparative study. The disease to be studied is Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV). PONV, described by some as "The Big Little Problem", has a great impact on patient´s satisfaction and the postoperative care needed. Considering the increase of outpatient surgery there is an expanding demand for effective PONV treatment to prevent delays in discharge or unplanned readmissions. The estimated annual costs of PONV in the U.S. per year are 100 million Dollars. Approximately 75 million patients are anesthetized in the world annually. It is estimated that 20-30% of these patients experience PONV, reaching 80% in patients at high risk. This incidence of PONV has maintained despite the improvement in surgical and anesthetic techniques and advances in antiemetic pharmacology. Increasingly, acupuncture is becoming part of Western medicine as a complementary treatment. Acupuncture has been described to effectively reduce the symptoms of different diseases, including PONV.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
270
The investigators will use ear seeds to stimulate acupuncture points. The seeds will be applied when the patients are in the preoperative room. After the patients have been discharged, they will need to stimulate these points every eight hours for five minutes, and every time they have nausea and/or vomiting during the first three postoperative days.
Fundacion Jimenez Diaz Hospital
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
RECRUITINGPercentage of patients with a score <50 on the PONV Intensity Scale at 72 hours postoperatively.
The percentage of patients with a score \<50 on the PONV Intensity Scale (defined as clinically not significant PONV) at 72 hours postoperatively will be assessed in the experimental and control group, respectively. In the experimental group, patients receive cutaneous stimulation and self-stimulation of acupuncture points Pericardium 6, Heart 7 and Stomach 25. In the control (placebo) group, patients receive cutaneous stimulation and self-stimulation of acupuncture points Gall Bladder 34, Kidney 6 and Liver 3.
Time frame: 72 hours
Percentage of patients with a score <50 on the PONV Intensity Scale at 6 and 24 hours postoperatively.
The percentage of patients with a score \<50 on the PONV Intensity Scale (defined as clinically not significant PONV) at 6 und 24 hours postoperatively will be assessed in the experimental and control group, respectively. In the experimental group, patients receive cutaneous stimulation and self-stimulation of acupuncture points Pericardium 6, Heart 7 and Stomach 25. In the control (placebo) group, patients receive cutaneous stimulation and self-stimulation of acupuncture points Gall Bladder 34, Kidney 6 and Liver 3.
Time frame: 6 and 24 hours
Evaluation of the postoperative recovery outcome
Evaluation of the postoperative recovery outcome using the postoperative quality of recovery score QoR-40.
Time frame: 24 hours
Evaluation of perioperative pain
Evaluation of perioperative pain using the verbal numerical pain scale
Time frame: 72 hours
Assessment of the patient´s satisfaction with the perioperative care
Assessment of the patient´s satisfaction with the perioperative care using the Leiden perioperative patient satisfaction questionnaire (LPPSq)
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Time frame: 72 hours
Assessment of costs and economic impact of the disease
Assessment of costs and economic impact of the disease quantifying the use of health and non-health resources
Time frame: 72 hours
Assessment of need for rescue antiemetic medication
Assessment of need for rescue antiemetic medication by quantifying the patients who need two or more drugs with antiemetic effect as rescue medication
Time frame: 72 hours