Acupuncture on Postoperative Pain Relief in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

One common minimally invasive surgical technique is laparoscopy, where minimizing postoperative pain and nausea and vomiting is of utmost importance. It necessitates early patient mobilization and short-term discharge due to its outpatient characteristics. With over 80% of surgical patients experiencing postoperative pain of varying intensities, postoperative pain presents a significant challenge for clinicians. One of the main reasons why hospital stays are prolonged is postoperative pain.

A number of pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches, including transversus abdominis plane block, low-pressure pneumoperitoneum, and local anesthetics, have been clinically investigated to treat pain following LC; these approaches require additional research. Effective analgesics that are frequently used in the postoperative surgical phase are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The use of NSAIDs may be restricted due to the associated risks of gastrointestinal harm and possible postoperative complications, such as bleeding, anastomotic leaks, and soft tissue infection.

Opioids are used as needed to treat pain following LC in order to prevent associated side effects.

Research on acupuncture's effectiveness as a postoperative adjuvant treatment has grown in popularity. The studies' findings, however, are not entirely consistent. Although studies using various surgical procedures produced positive results, it was suggested that acupuncture has no effect on postoperative pain. However, there is scant evidence regarding acupuncture's ability to manage pain following LC. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and effectiveness of acupuncture in treating postoperative pain in patients following LC. Therefore, the study's goal was to reduce postoperative pain in order to enhance the results of LC surgeries.

Fifty patients, equally split into two groups, participated in this prospective randomized controlled interventional study.

• There were 25 patients in Group I (Interventional group) who received acupuncture.
• 25 patients in Group II (control patients) did not receive any intervention.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients who are undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy of both sexes.
• Patients with grades I and II from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

Exclusion criteria

• Patients with local skin infections at acupoints.
• Patients who have nerve injuries on upper limbs or lower limbs.
• Patients who are alcoholics.
• Pregnant.
• Patients with other severe systemic diseases and serious mental illnesses.