[Effect of acupressure at the Sanjiao point [SP6] on women's general heath with dysmenorrhea: a randomized controlled trial]

Dysmenorrhea is one of the most prevalent gynecological problems among women. The aim of this randomized, single-blind clinical trial was to examine the effectiveness of SP6 acupressure on women's general health. This was a single-blind, placebo-controlled study and included 86 single students who had regular menstrual cycles. The students were randomly allocated to either acupressure group or sham pressure group. Participants in acupressure group received acupressure at the Sanyinjiao point [SP6] in the first 24 hours after menstruation. Using General Health Questionnaire [GHQ] we assessed general health of both groups before and 3 hours after intervention. The general health scores improved significantly after intervention. We found significant differences between the two groups in relation to the 4 domains of general health after the first and second months of intervention [p<0.05]. The results of this study showed that both acupressure and placebo were effective in promoting women's general health, but, acupressure was more effective than placebo. Sp6 acupressure is a self-manageable approach which can improve women's general health

[Pulmonary edema following cesarean section under spinal anesthesia: a case report]

This is a report of pulmonary edema following cesarean section under spinal anesthesia in a patient with valvular heart disease. The patient was a 38-yr old multigravida woman without history of cardiac disease. She was operated under spinal anesthesia and remained haemodynamically stable throughout the procedure. But she developed respiratory distress at the end of operation in the recovery room. The only finding in ECG of the patients was sinus tachycardia and chest X-ray revealed bilateral pulmonary edema. The result of echocardiography was suggestive of moderate to severe mitral stenosis. Diagnosis of pulmonary emboli was excluded by perfusion scan. The patient was treated with diagnosis of pulmonary edema and after two hours the patient showed some improvement. Result of the echocardiography on the next day, confirmed the diagnosis. Physical examination should be performed carefully in order to determine the proper method of anesthesia. Spinal anesthesia in patients with mitral stenosis, in particular in pregnancy may not be well tolerated and should be performed cautiously