Effect of acupressure or acupuncture on level of pain, anxiety and physiological parameters in patients undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy: Systematic review of RCT
Priyanshi Dixit, Uma Phalswal, Pushpa, Nipin Kalal, Manju Dhandapani, Bhavesh KumariBackground:
Acupuncture and acupressure are non-invasive and safe methods that involve the application of pressure to various body parts during an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) procedure. This systematic review describes the effectiveness of acupressure/acupuncture on pain level, anxiety and physiological parameters in patients undergoing ESWL.
Methods:
Studies published through 2024 were identified using Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and PubMed. Randomised controlled trials comparing acupressure or acupuncture with no intervention, NSAIDS, opioids or sham acupuncture were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB2). Of the seven included studies.
Results:
On synthesising the evidence from nine included studies, all reported that pain intensity in the experimental group was effectively reduced by acupuncture or acupressure.
Two studies analysed procedural anxiety among the patients undergoing ESWL, and both of them concluded regarding less anxiety in the acupressure group. No conclusive results were found about HR and blood pressure, as one study showed no significant difference in both variables (HR, BP), whereas another concluded a decrease in heart rate and BP after 30 min of receiving acupressure.
Conclusion:
By reviewing the included studies, all studies have reported that acupressure seems to be an effective therapy for decreasing ESWL-related pain severity and pre-procedural anxiety. The current review was inconclusive about the beneficial effects of acupressure on physiological parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate during intra- and post-ESWL. Further studies to explore exact therapeutic doses and duration of acupuncture during ESWL are needed.