Abstract
Objective. Acupuncture has been shown to decrease opioid requirements and respiratory distress in selected patients, and it may be helpful as an adjunctive therapy to sedatives and analgesics in the ICU. This preliminary study investigated the acceptance and feasibility of acupuncture in the ICU. Design. Forty-eight patients in a 12-bed medical–surgical ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who met eligibility criteria were offered the opportunity to receive free-of-charge daily acupuncture treatments during their time in the ICU. Primary endpoints were percentage of patients offered acupuncture who accepted treatment, the percentage of eligible days acupuncture therapy was received, and the incidence of adverse events related to acupuncture treatment. Main Results. Of the 48 patients who were eligible and offered acupuncture therapy, 20 (41%) patients enrolled in the study with an average age of 56 years (range = 18-91 years). The median and average number of days which patients received acupuncture was 2 and 3, respectively (range = 0-11 days), and a majority of patients (13/20) received acupuncture for each of the days for which they were eligible. One patient reported dizziness, which resolved spontaneously and was not associated with hemodynamic changes. No other adverse effects occurred in a total of 64 acupuncture treatments. Conclusions. This preliminary study demonstrates that acupuncture therapy in the ICU is a feasible treatment modality. Further clinical trials are warranted to determine the efficacy of acupuncture therapy as an adjunct to sedative and analgesics in critically ill patients.
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