Acupuncture at Ciliao (BL 32) for prevention of postpartum urinary retention in elderly parturient women: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the preventive effect of acupuncture at Ciliao (BL 32) on postpartum urinary retention as well as the time and volume of the first urination after delivery in elderly parturient women undergoing vaginal delivery.@*METHODS@#A total of 180 elderly parturient women (≥35 years old) undergoing vaginal delivery were randomly divided into a blank control group, a conditional control group and an observation group, 60 cases in each group. The patients in the blank control group were treated with routine nursing plan; based on the treatment of the blank control group, the patients in the conditional control group were treated with additional intervention measures such as applying hot towel on the bladder and fingers pressing to stimulate urination; based on the treatment of the blank control group, the patients in the observation group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Ciliao (BL 32) one hour after delivery for 20 min (the acupuncture was given only once). The incidence rate of postpartum urinary retention as well as the time and volume of the first urination among the women without urinary retention were observed; the satisfaction rate of the 3 groups was recorded.@*RESULTS@#The incidence rate of postpartum urinary retention in the observation group was 5.0% (3/60), which was significantly lower than 26.7% (16/60) in the blank control group (<0.01) and 16.7% (10/60) in the conditional control group (<0.05); the incidence rate of postpartum urinary retention in the conditional control group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group [16.7% (10/60) vs 26.7%(16/60), <0.05]. In the elderly women without urinary retention, the first urination time in the observation group was significantly earlier than that in the blank control group and conditional control group (<0.01), and the first urination time in the conditional control group was earlier than that in the blank control group (<0.01). The volume of first urination in the observation group was higher than that in the blank control group and the conditional control group (<0.05, <0.01). The satisfaction rates in the observation group and conditional control group were higher than that in the blank control group (<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#Acupuncture at Ciliao (BL 32) could effectively prevent the postpartum urinary retention, improve the time and volume of the first urination in elderly parturient women undergoing vaginal delivery.