Acupuncture in Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

Acupuncture in Tonsillectomy/Adenoidectomy

Negative results still exist. A recent Norway study conducted at the Institute of Community Medicine, UiT the Arctic University of Norway, Faculty of Odontology, University of Oslo, Faculty of Health Service, and Akershus College University of Applied Science to investigate the effect of standardized acupuncture on nausea and vomiting in children after tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. This pragmatic, multicentre, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial was performed over ten months in 2012-2013 at three ambulatory clinics. A total of two hundred and eighty-two children aged 1-11 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I or II underwent randomization. To neutralize the expectancy effects, all parents were told that their child would receive acupuncture. Patients were randomly assigned into perioperative bilateral needling acupuncture at Neiguan (PC6) with a depth of 7 mm, mean time 17 minutes (SD 5-45) during anesthesia plus usual care, or to usual care only. Primary outcome endpoints included nausea and vomiting 24 hours postoperatively. Results showed that the overall vomiting in the acupuncture and usual-care groups was 44.2% and 47.9%, respectively; nausea was experienced by 31.7% in the acupuncture group and 32.6% in the usual-care group. These measures did not demonstrate any effect of acupuncture compared with standard care at the 95% CI. They suggested that when controlling for possible placebo effects standardized acupuncture needling at Neiguan (PC6) during anesthesia without further stimulation on the point was not effective in reducing nausea and vomiting in children after tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy.

Source: Liodden I, Sandvik L, Valeberg BT, Borud E, Norheim AJ. Acupuncture versus usual care for postoperative nausea and vomiting in children after tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy: a pragmatic, multicentre, double-blinded, randomised trial. Acupunct Med. 2015 Apr 13.