Acupuncture as a complement to the pharmacological management of pain, nausea and vomiting after cesarean section: A randomized clinical trial

Objective

To investigate the effectiveness of acupuncture in addition to routine care, compared with routine care alone, in the treatment of patients with pain, nauseas and vomiting due to cesarean section (CS).

Methods

In a randomized controlled trial, 56 patients post CS were randomly allocated to undergo up to 1 session of real acupuncture or to a control group receiving sham acupuncture with no penetrating needling immediately after spinal anesthesia. All patients were allowed to receive usual medical care for pain, nauseas and vomiting. A satisfaction questionnaire was also applied to puerperal mothers in the first 48 h after the procedure.

Results

The patient characteristics were similar in both groups. No significant difference was found in the incidence of nausea and vomiting and the antiemetic use between groups during the first 24 h and 48 h post-CS. The sham group showed better VAS pain scores at rest in the first 24 h. In the assessment of pain in 48 h there was no difference between acupuncture group and sham group.

Conclusion

This clinical trial using a single session of acupuncture showed no effectiveness of acupuncture in the prevention of pain, nauseas and vomiting after CS. More well-designed studies are needed to define the role of acupuncture on post-CS.