Systematic review of adverse events following acupuncture: the Japanese literature

Yamashita, Hitoshi; Tsukayama, Hiroshi; White, Adrian; Tanno, Yasuo; Sugishita, Chieko; Ernst, Edzard

doi:10.1054/ctim.2001.0446

Cited by 130 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Similar events have been reported by other countries, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] usually as a result of inappropriate technique. Acupuncture can be considered inherently safe in the hands of well trained practitioners.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Serious adverse events resulting from acupuncture, including pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, spinal cord injury and viral hepatitis, have been identified in previous literature reviews. [1][2][3][4] Prospective surveys to determine the frequency of acupuncture-related adverse events have been conducted in Germany, 5,6 Norway 7 and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 8,9 These studies have shown an incidence of mild, transient acupuncture-related adverse events that ranges from 6.71% to 15%.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Acupuncture-related adverse events: a systematic review of the Chinese literature

Zhang¹,

Shang²,

Gao³

et al. 2010

Bull World Health Org

153

111

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Outcome Spinal cord and neighbouring tissuesBao LP, Gao CT. Subarachnoid haemorrhage after acupuncture at Fengchi and Yamen points in 3 cases.Jilin Med J 1983;4:45-6. Yu BR. Acupuncture at nape points caused subarachnoid haemorrhage in 7 cases. Wu DP, He RL. Gallbladder perforation complicated with bile peritonitis, 2 cases caused by acupuncture. J Apoplexy Nerv DisShanxi J Trad Chin Med 1981;S1:44.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture-related adverse events: a systematic review of the Chinese literature

Zhang¹,

Shang²,

Gao³

et al. 2010

Bull World Health Org

153

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…23 In reality, however, the risk of underestimation seems to be much higher than the risk of overestimation. In any case, the major point of the primary reports is to indicate the range of events rather then their frequency.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Cumulative Review of the Range and Incidence of Significant Adverse Events Associated with Acupuncture

2004

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Objective To summarise the range and frequency of significant adverse events associated with acupuncture in order to provide evidence on which to base continuing efforts to improve the safety of acupuncture practice. Methods Searches were conducted of computerised databases, previous reviews of case reports, population surveys, prospective surveys of acupuncture practice and relevant sections of textbooks for primary and secondary reports to indicate the range of significant adverse events associated with acupuncture. Data from prospective surveys of acupuncture were combined to estimate the incidence of serious adverse events. Results A total of 715 adverse events was included. There were 90 primary reports of trauma, and 186 secondary reports; the most common were pneumothorax and injury to the central nervous system. Infection accounted for 204 primary reports and 91 secondary reports. Over 60% of these cases were hepatitis B. The next most common infection was of the external ear, as a complication of auricular acupuncture. The 144 miscellaneous events mainly comprised seizures and drowsiness judged severe enough to cause a traffic hazard. There were 12 primary reports of deaths. According to the evidence from 12 prospective studies which surveyed more than a million treatments, the risk of a serious adverse event with acupuncture is estimated to be 0.05 per 10 000 treatments, and 0.55 per 10 000 individual patients. Conclusions The risk of serious events occurring in association with acupuncture is very low, below that of many common medical treatments. The range of adverse events reported is wide and some events, specifically trauma and some episodes of infection, are likely to be avoidable.

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“…Serious side effects include cardiac tamponade [43,44], pneumothorax [45,46], endocarditis [47][48][49], hepatitis [50][51][52], chylothorax [53], and spinal cord injury [50,54], and minor side effects include fainting [55,56] and skin reactions [57][58][59][60]. Pneumothorax is the most common mechanical organ injury associated with acupuncture treatment [50,[61][62][63][64], and the related reports are from the United States [65][66][67], Canada [68], The Netherlands [69,70], France [71], Norway [63], Portugal [72,73], Denmark [74], Taiwan [75], Japan [50,76], China [45,77], and Hong Kong [78]. Based on the facts mentioned above, we understand that the safe needling depth for acupuncture therapy is a very important issue for clinical practice.…”

Section: Fingerbreadth (F-breadth)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring the Thickness of the Abdominal Wall at Abdominal Acupoints Using Ultrasonography and Analyzing Correlations with Physical Examination Values in Functional Dyspepsia Patients

한¹,

박²,

김³

2016

J Int Korean Med

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Objective. To explore the existing scientific information regarding safe needling depth of acupuncture points and the needling depth of clinical efficacy. Methods. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases to identify relevant monographs and related references from 1991 to 2013. Chinese journals and theses/dissertations were hand searched. Results. 47 studies were recruited and divided into 6 groups by measuring tools, that is, MRI, in vivo evaluation, CT, ultrasound, dissected specimen of cadavers, and another group with clinical efficacy. Each research was analyzed for study design, definition of safe depth, and factors that would affect the measured depths. Depths of clinical efficacy were discussed from the perspective of de-qi and other clinical observations. Conclusions. Great inconsistency in depth of each point measured from different subject groups and tools exists. The definition of safe depth should be established through standardization. There is also lack of researches to compare the clinical efficacy. A well-designed clinical trial selecting proper measuring tools to decide the actual and advisable needling depth for each point, to avoid adverse effects or complications and promote optimal clinical efficacy, is a top priority.

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Systematic review of adverse events following acupuncture: the Japanese literature

Cited by 130 publications

References 22 publications

Acupuncture-related adverse events: a systematic review of the Chinese literature

Acupuncture-related adverse events: a systematic review of the Chinese literature

A Cumulative Review of the Range and Incidence of Significant Adverse Events Associated with Acupuncture

Measuring the Thickness of the Abdominal Wall at Abdominal Acupoints Using Ultrasonography and Analyzing Correlations with Physical Examination Values in Functional Dyspepsia Patients

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