Efficacy observation of acupuncture plus point application for pain after thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture plus point application in managing pain after thoracoscopic radical lung cancer surgery(TRLCS). Methods:A total of 120 patients undergoing TRLCS were randomized into a treatment group and a control group,with 60 cases in each group.Both groups received patient-controlled intravenous analgesia(PCIA)to relieve postoperative wound pain.The control group did not receive any other interventions.The treatment group started acupuncture treatments 4 h after the surgery with point application between two acupuncture sessions;the acupuncture treatment was conducted 4,24,48,and 72 h after the surgery.At the above 4 time points,the visual analog scale(VAS)score and additional PCIA drug consumption were recorded.The 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT)content in the peripheral blood was determined 4 h and 72 h after the surgery. Results:The treatment group was superior to the control group in comparing the total effective rate(P<0.05).After the intervention,the VAS score decreased in both groups(P<0.05);the VAS score presented different decreasing patterns at each time point in the two groups,and the score dropped more significantly in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05).The total PICA drug consumption varied in the two groups after the surgery;the additional analgesic consumption was notably smaller in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05).The decrease in the 5-HT content in the peripheral blood also varied in the two groups;the peripheral blood 5-HT content was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion:Acupuncture plus point application can significantly relieve wound pain after TRLCS.