The Effects of Acupressure on Improving Postoperative Gastrointestinal Symptom Distress in Esophageal Cancer Patients

Esophageal cancer is one of the common and highly fatal malignant tumors, and its incidence rate is increasing every year, and most of them are in the middle and advanced stages when diagnosed. Surgery is the standard treatment for the eradication of esophageal cancer, which can effectively reduce the mortality rate and improve the survival rate, but the patients often experience gastrointestinal discomfort after surgery, which impedes the intake of nutrients and the body's recovery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acupressure in improving the postoperative gastrointestinal discomfort in patients with esophageal cancer. An experimental study design was adopted, and patients were assigned to the experimental group and the control group in a time-divided manner. The experimental group was assigned to the experimental group and the control group in a time-separated manner. The experimental group received regular care from the first day to the fifth day after the patients were transferred from the intensive care unit to the hospital ward after the surgery, and they received acupressure at the Neiguan point of the upper limbs and the four acupoints of the foot Sanli of the lower limbs twice a day for 3 minutes each, for a total of 12 minutes; while the control group received regular care in the first day of the study. In this study, the gastrointestinal symptoms of the experimental group before and after acupressure were collected and compared with those of the control group, in order to verify the effectiveness of acupressure in improving gastrointestinal symptoms during postoperative nutritional support for jejunostomy.

Inclusion criteria

• Hospitalized men and women who agree to participate in this study
• Patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer based on pathological tissue section results
• Nutritional support through jejunostomy in post esophagectomy patients
• A sufficient level of education to understand study procedures and be able to communicate with site personnel

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnant or lactating women
• Diagnosed and treated for peripheral vascular disease within 3 months prior to surgery.
• Those with unstable vital signs and septicemia infection after surgery.
• Those who are suffering from blood diseases with abnormal coagulation function, or Currently taking anticoagulant drugs.