Naslov
Auricular acupuncture as effective pain relief after episiotomy: a randomized controlled pilot study

Autori
Kličan Jaić, Katarina ; Magdić Turković, Tihana ; Pešić, Maja ; Djaković, Ivka ; Košec, Vesna ; Košec, Andro

Izvornik
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics (0932-0067) 300 (2019), 5; 1295-1301

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
acupuncture ; analgesic therapy ; auricular acupuncture ; episiotomy ; pain relief

Sažetak
Purpose: Previously, pain treatment following episiotomy has relied on non-steroid anti- inflammatory drugs as analgesics, whose use during breastfeeding remains controversial due of their transfer to the child. Methods: This was a pilot randomized parallel single-center study aiming to evaluate the effects of auricular acupuncture on pain relief after episiotomy. The primary outcome was reduction of pain intensity using visual analogue scale (VAS) scores during the first three postpartum days. The patients were allocated to either of the groups by using a heads-tails binary result coin toss method and the allocation was not masked. The study was completed after including 60 healthy women that underwent mediolateral episiotomy performed during vaginal delivery, with 29 receiving acupuncture therapy and 31 not receiving acupuncture therapy for pain relief. Oral analgesic therapy was made available per request for all patients. Results: This study showed that subjective experience of pain was significantly reduced in the acupuncture group on the second and third postpartum days (P = 0.004, P = 0.005, P = 0.22). There were no adverse effects of acupuncture noted. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that auricular acupuncture therapy may be a valuable adjunct to analgesic therapy in patients undergoing episiotomy during vaginal delivery. The results prompt a question whether our current 'best practice' may yet be improved.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Kliničke medicinske znanosti, Biotehnologija u biomedicini (prirodno područje, biomedicina i zdravstvo, biotehničko područje)

POVEZANOST RADA