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OBSTETRIC ANESTHESIA

P6 Acupressure Does Not Prevent Emesis During Spinal Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery

Chiu-Ming Ho, MD, PhD^*, Hsin-Jung Tsai, MD, Kwok-Hon Chan, MD^*, and Shen-Kou Tsai, MD, PhD^*

*Department of Anesthesiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University; Department of Anesthesiology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Chiu-Ming Ho, MD, PhD, Department of Anesthesiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Sec. 2, Shipai Rd, Taipei 112, Taiwan. Address e-mail to cmho{at}vghtpe.gov.tw.

Nausea and vomiting are major adverse effects during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. Stimulation of the P6 (Neiguan) acupoint is a traditional Chinese acupuncture technique used for effective antiemetic purposes. In this study, we evaluated the antiemetic effect of P6 acupressure in parturients during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery. In a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial, 110 parturients scheduled for elective cesarean delivery were enrolled in the study. Thirty minutes before initiation of spinal anesthesia, parturients were randomized to acupressure bands or placebo bands bilaterally on the P6 acupoint and nausea and vomiting were observed over the study period. There were no statistically significant differences in maternal characteristics. Incidence rates for intraoperative nausea were 64% (acupressure group) and 71% (control group) (P = 0.416), with an incidence of intraoperative vomiting of 22% (acupressure group) and 27% (control group) (P = 0.506). The results suggest that prophylactic use of acupressure bands bilaterally on the P6 acupoint failed to prevent nausea and vomiting during spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

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