Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan ON
Affiliation :
Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital
Introduction :
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a common side effect after general anaesthesia that may affect rehabilitation progress in orthopaedic patients. Complications for instance aspiration pneumonia, electrolyte imbalance and prolonged hospital stay would be resulted, especially for older people. Acupressure wristband is a safe, non-invasive and easy adaptable non-pharmacological alternative to prevent older people from suffering PONV.
Objectives :
To examine the effect of Nei-Guan (P6) acupressure wristband for preventing PONV among older female undergoing orthopaedic surgery.
Methodology :
A quasi-experimental single-blinded study design was employed. Acupressure wristband or placebo wristband was applied on Nei-Guan (P6) acupressure point when patient was transferred back from operation theatre to ward. The wristband was removed after 12 hours. Outcome was measured by The Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting and Retching (INVR). INVR score was obtained before applying the wristband and after removing the wristband.
Result & Outcome :
Results:
58 participants were recruited and assigned to experimental group (n=27) and placebo group (n=29) by convenience sampling. When comparing the INVR before and after applying the wristband, there was a significant reduction in nausea (p=0.039) and vomiting (p=0.028) in experimental group but not in control group. However, there was no significant difference in reduction of INVR between experimental group and control group (p>0.05, Mann-Whitney U-test).
Conclusion:
There was no statistically significant difference in comparing the two groups. The result may be affected by individual risk factors, duration and type of anaesthesia, and medications administered. Further study with modified variable control and larger sample size is suggested. However, there was a significant reduction of PONV in experimental group and the wristband was non-invasive and easy to use. It indicated that usage of Nei-Guan (P6) acupressure could be an alternative antiemetic therapy.
