Battlefield Acupuncture Use for Perioperative Anesthesia in Veterans Affairs Surgical Patients: A Single-Center Randomized Controlled Trial

Mohanad Baldawi, George McKelvey, Vijval R. Patel, Brinda Krish, Aashish Jay Kumar, Padmavathi Patel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: The risks from opioid use are well known in and mandate nonpharmacological modalities for the management of postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of battlefield acupuncture (BFA) as an adjunct therapy for postoperative pain in U.S. veteran patients undergoing major surgery under general anesthesia. Methods: Patients undergoing major surgery performed under general anesthesia from June 2017 to June 2018 were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either BFA or sham acupuncture. Outcomes such as pain intensity measured by visual analog scale score, opioid consumption, and the incidence of analgesia-related adverse effects were compared between the study groups. Results: A total of 72 subjects were included in this study (36 subjects in each study group). The median 24-h opioid postoperative consumption measured in morphine milligram equivalent (MME) was lower in the BFA group compared to the sham acupuncture group (18.3 [±12.2] MME vs. 38.6 [±15.9] MME, p < 0.001). Pain intensity reported by patients at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h postoperatively was lower in the BFA group compared to the sham acupuncture group. The incidence of postsurgical nausea and vomiting was lower in patients receiving BFA compared to patients receiving sham acupuncture. There were no intergroup differences in terms of postoperative anxiety or hospital length of stay. Conclusion: The results from this study reveal the potential clinical benefits of using BFA for reducing pain intensity and opioid requirements in surgical patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)683-688
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine
Volume28
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • acupuncture
  • opioid
  • pain management
  • randomized clinical trial
  • veterans

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Complementary and alternative medicine
  • General Medicine

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