Effect of acupressure application on patients’ nausea, vomiting, pain, and sleep quality after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized placebo-controlled study

The Efficacy of Acupressure for Nausea and Vomiting After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Meta-analysis Study

“…33 The stimulation of the PC6 point was located on the PC meridian and sends signals to the brain for creating the antiemetic effect. 13 After the brain is stimulated, neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, are secreted and they help prevent nausea and vomiting by blocking chemicals that can cause nausea. 34 We should also consider several limitations.…”

“…Ultimately, 6 RCTs were included in the metaanalysis. 13,[19][20][21]28,29 The baseline characteristics of 6 eligible RCTs in the meta-analysis were summarized in Table 1. The 6 studies were published between 2002 and 2022, and the total sample size was 521.…”

“…Among the 6 RCTs, 3 studies reported nausea at 2 hours and vomiting at 2 hours, 13,28,29 3 studies reported nausea at 6 hours, vomiting at 6 hours, nausea at 24 hours, and vomiting at 24 hours, 13,19,28 while 3 studies reported rescue antiemetic. 19,28,29 Jadad scores of the 6 included studies ranged from 3 to 5, and all studies were considered to have high quality according to quality assessment.…”

“…[10][11][12] Many pharmacological approaches have been developed to treat postoperative nausea and vomiting, including hydroxytryptamine receptor antagonists, neurokinin-1 receptor antagonists, corticosteroids, antihistamines, anticholinergics, etc. [13][14][15][16][17] However, these drugs are limited by some side effects and high costs. 12 As one common nonpharmacological method, acupressure provides the proper functioning of energy channels by applying pressure to the acupressure points on the meridians that carry energy in the body with palms, fingers, or special stimulation bands.…”

“…18 Acupressure is reported to hold promise in the elimination and prevention of nausea and vomiting. 13,19 Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showed that acupressure may have the capability to alleviate nausea and vomiting after LC, but the results were not well established. 13,20,21 Considering these inconsistent effects, we, therefore, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs to evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure on postoperative nausea and vomiting for LC.…”