Premium
The effect of acupuncture on the incidence of postextubation laryngospasm in children
Author(s) -
Lee C. K.,
Chien T. J.,
Hsu J. C.,
Yang C. Y.,
Hsiao J. M.,
Huang Y. R.,
Chang C. L.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2044.1998.00535.x
Subject(s) - laryngospasm , medicine , acupuncture , bloodletting , anesthesia , incidence (geometry) , acupuncture therapy , electroacupuncture , surgery , airway , alternative medicine , physics , pathology , optics
Laryngospasm occurring after tracheal extubation in children is potentially dangerous. This study uses acupuncture with bloodletting at the Shao Shang (L 11) or Shang Yang (Li 1) acupoints to investigate whether this technique can prevent or treat laryngospasm. Seventy‐six patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the acupuncture group ( n = 38) were treated with bilateral Shao Shang acupunctures at the end of the operation. Patients in the control group ( n = 38) were not. The incidence of laryngospasm in the acupuncture group (5.3%) was less than that in the control group (23.7%) (p < 0.05). If laryngospasm developed, patients were immediately treated with acupuncture at either the Shao Shang or Shang Yang acupoints. As judged by an increase in peripheral oxygen saturation, the laryngospasm was relieved within 1 min of acupuncture in all patients. It is concluded that acupuncture with bloodletting at the Shao Shang acupoint may prevent and treat laryngospasm occurring after tracheal extubation in children.