Abstract:

The efficacy of acupressure at the P6 point in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during and after Caesarean section was studied. A double-blind, randomized controlled study of acupressure vs placebo was designed. Ninety-four patients scheduled for Caesarean section were included. The anaesthetic technique and postoperative analgesia were standardized. The use of acupressure reduced the incidence of nausea or vomiting from 53% to 23% compared with placebo (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34–0.25; P=0.002) during the operation and from 66% to 36% compared with placebo (95% CI 0.34–0.19; P=0.003) after the operation. Other variables were similar between the groups.

Keywords: acupressure; anaesthesia, obstetric; vomiting, nausea

Document Type: Original article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Anaesthesia, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. 2: Department of Community Health and General Practice, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. 3: Department of Anaesthesia, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland