Effect of acupuncture on the prevention of nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common and undesirable complication observed after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). We investigated the effects of auriculoacupuncture (AA) on the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the immediate postoperative period of uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients were randomly divided into two groups, auriculoacupuncture (n = 35) and control (n = 33), and then they were evaluated prospectively. The needle was placed before anaesthesia induction and remained for 20 minutes. Nausea intensity was evaluated using an analogic visual scale and PONV events were registered immediately after anaesthesia care unit admission and in the second, fourth and sixth hours after the surgery. RESULTS: The auriculoacupuncture group had a significantly smaller incidence of nausea and vomiting than the control group throughout the whole postoperative period (16/35 vs. 27/33, p = 0.03 and 4/35 vs. 15/33, p = 0.005, respectively); the AA group had fewer nausea events 2 h (p = 0.03) and 6 h (p = 0.001) after surgery and fewer vomiting events 2 h (p = 0.01) and 6 h (p = 0.02) after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Auriculoacupuncture can partially prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting when compared to metoclopramide alone after uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Auriculoacupuncture can be recommended as an adjuvant therapy for postoperative nausea and vomiting prevention in selected patients.