Efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in treating postoperative pain of mixed hemorrhoids

Abstract

Background: Pain is a common complication after mixed hemorrhoids, which seriously affects the recovery of patients and prolongs the length of hospital stay. Acupoint catgut embedding has advantages in improving a variety of acute and chronic pain diseases, but there is still a lack of rigorous randomized controlled studies to verify its efficacy and safety in the treatment of postoperative pain of mixed hemorrhoids. Therefore, the purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of postoperative pain of mixed hemorrhoids. Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of postoperative pain of mixed hemorrhoids. Approved by the clinical research ethics committee of our hospital, the patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to 1:1. The observation group received acupoint catgut embedding before the operation, while the control group received no special treatment. The efficacy and safety indexes were concerned after the operation, and the observation indexes included: resting state and visual analogue scale (VAS) score during defecation, postoperative hospitalization time, total amount of analgesic use, adverse reactions, etc. Finally, we carried on the data statistical analysis through the SPSS version 19.0. Discussion: This study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupoint catgut embedding in the treatment of postoperative pain of mixed hemorrhoids, and the results of this study will provide a new idea for the selection of postoperative analgesia for mixed hemorrhoids resection. Trial registration: OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/T2ZGY.

Three Acupuncture Methods for Postoperative Pain in Mixed Hemorrhoids: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

“…A total of 5121 cases were included in 47 [ 7 , 9 – 54 ] studies. A total of 47 RCTs were included in this study, of which 17 evaluated auricular plaster versus common treatment [ 10 – 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 21 , 23 , 24 , 28 , 29 , 50 – 52 , 54 ], 8 evaluated auricular plaster versus painkillers [ 15 , 17 , 22 , 25 – 27 , 30 , 31 ], 5 evaluated acupoint catgut embedding versus common treatment [ 7 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 53 ], 7 evaluated acupoint catgut embedding versus painkillers [ 9 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 43 – 45 ], 6 evaluated acupoint application point versus common treatment [ 40 – 42 , 47 – 49 ], 1 evaluated acupoint application point versus painkillers [ 33 ], 1 evaluated auricular plaster and acupoint application point versus painkillers [ 32 ], and 2 evaluated auricular plaster and acupoint application point versus common treatment [ 19 , 46 ].…”

“…47 literature were all two-arm studies. 34 studies [ 7 , 9 – 15 , 17 – 19 , 21 – 23 , 28 – 31 , 33 – 46 , 48 , 49 ] reported pain scores, 14 studies [ 9 , 13 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 24 – 27 , 39 , 42 , 47 ] reported the total efficiency, 9 studies [ 22 , 26 , 32 , 42 , 50 – 54 ] reported postoperative pain degree, and in terms of study design, 11 studies [ 11 , 14 , 17 , 28 , 29 , 32 , 33 , 36 , 43 , 45 , 46 ] reported adverse effects and detail management measures, 14 studies [ 11 , 15 , 17 , 19 , 34 – 36 , 40 , 42 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 52 , 54 ] used random number tables, and 20 studies [ 9 , 12 , 18 , 20 – 22 , 26 , 27 , 29 , 31 – 33 , 37 – 39 ,…”

“…A total of 34 papers [ 7 , 9 – 15 , 17 – 19 , 21 – 23 , 28 – 31 , 33 – 46 , 48 , 49 ] were included in the pain score, involving 6 treatment measures (auricular plaster, acupoint catgut embedding, acupoint application, conventional treatment, and pain medication), forming a total of 3 closed loops, namely, conventional treatment-acupoint application-painkiller-acupoint catgut embedding, conventional treatment-acupoint application-painkiller-auricular plaster, and conventional treatment-acupoint catgut embedding-painkiller-auricular plaster ( Figure 7(c) ).…”

“…The following are the exclusion criteria: (1) study subjects: patients with combined postoperative pain from perianal diseases other than mixed hemorrhoids; (2) intervention: patients with combined herbal or proprietary Chinese medicine treatment; (3) experience, case reports, reviews, animal experiments, and case retrospective studies; (4) conference papers or dissertations, etc. ; (5) repeatedly published literature; (6) outcome indicators: none or imperfect; and (7) the original text of the study not being obtained 2.2. Literature Screening.…”

“…In clinical practice, drug therapy is mostly used for postoperative pain in hemorrhoids but it requires multiple doses within a short period of time, which easily causes adverse reactions in the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system, often resulting in dizziness, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, and itchy skin [5][6][7], and the high cost of drugs increases the economic burden of patients. Therefore, the basic principle of pain management is to effectively relieve pain while minimizing the adverse effects of drugs and the cost of treatment.…”