Post written by Anthony Yuen Bun Teoh, FRCSEd, from the Department of Surgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.

Acupuncture has been used as part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. However, the role of electroacupuncture (EA) in reducing sedative and analgesic requirements during endoscopy is uncertain. The aim of the current study is to investigate the efficacy of EA in reducing procedure-related pain and discomfort during EUS. A number of studies in animals and humans suggest that acupuncture may have an effect on gastrointestinal motility and sensation, gastric acid secretion, anti-emesis, cancer pain management, postoperative ileus, and functional bowel disease. However, many of these studies are non-English reports, and they often suffer from design flaws with a lack of objective outcome measurements. The results from well-designed human randomized studies are lacking. Thus, we believe that this study could help to establish the role of EA in advanced endoscopy. The patients that received EA had less propofol and alfentanil demands. They also had less procedural pain scores, anxiety scores, higher satisfaction scores, and they are more willing to repeat the procedure. Being in the SA group and the procedural time were significant predictors of increased PCA demands. Further studies are required to determine the optimal duration of applying EA for the ideal efficacy.

Read the full article online.

The information presented in Endoscopedia reflects the opinions of the authors and does not represent the position of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE). ASGE expressly disclaims any warranties or guarantees, expressed or implied, and is not liable for damages of any kind in connection with the material, information, or procedures set forth.