Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting by Multiacupoint Acupuncture in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Background and Objectives

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Previous studies have shown that acupuncture at multiple acupoints could be effective in preventing PONV, but its efficacy in preventing PONV in patients after cholecystectomy remains unknown.

Materials and Methods

This study aims to observe the preventive effect of acupuncture at multiple acupoints on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, providing more evidence for the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture techniques.

Results

A total of 103 patients were included in the study, and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 100 patients were followed up, of whom 55 did not receive acupuncture treatment, while 45 underwent acupuncture therapy. The incidence of PONV was significantly lower in patients who received acupuncture at multiple acupoints compared (28.9%) to those who did not receive acupuncture (60.0%) [P = 0.001, relative risk: 0.45 (0.28–0.72)]. In the comparison of visual analog scale (VAS) scores at different postoperative time points, patients who received acupuncture had significantly lower VAS scores than those without acupuncture treatment. Additionally, the acupuncture group had significantly shorter hospital stays (6–7) compared with the group without acupuncture (6–9) [P = 0.014, β coefficient: −1.23 (−2.20 to 0.25].

Conclusions

Our results suggest that acupuncture at multiple acupoints may reduce the overall incidence of PONV in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as well as shorten their postoperative hospital stay and alleviate postoperative discomfort which merits further clinical trials and application.