Acupuncture for ventilator-dependent patients at a hospital-based respiratory care center: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundIn intensive care units, mechanical ventilation is an important therapy to help patients with dyspnea. However, long-term ventilator dependence would consume huge medical resources and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of the acu...

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Published in:Integrative medicine research 2023, 12(4), 45, pp.1-7
Main Authors: Chen, Jia-Ming, Chiang, Wan-Li, Ji, Bin-Chuan, Jhang, Ruei-Jhe, Chen, Pei-Hsin, Li, Ya-Lun, Chang, Che-Ju, Huang, Sung-Yen, Lee, Tsung-Chieh, Chen, Chia-Yun, Lin, Ching-Hsiung, Lin, Sheng-Hao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupuncture
Dyspnea
Original
RSBI
Ventilator parameters
Ventilator-dependent
학제간연구
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Summary:BackgroundIn intensive care units, mechanical ventilation is an important therapy to help patients with dyspnea. However, long-term ventilator dependence would consume huge medical resources and increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to examine the efficacy of the acupuncture combined with western medical care on ventilator parameters in ventilator-dependent patients.MethodsIn this clinical trial, 80 ventilator-dependent patients aged 20 to 80 years old were randomly assigned to acupuncture group and control group in the respiratory care center (RCC) of Changhua Christian Hospital. Besides regular medical care and therapy, participants in the acupuncture group received acupuncture therapy at the same 17 acu-points for 20 minutes once a day, a total of 12 sessions. The ventilator parameters were recorded to evaluate the respiratory efficiency for all participants. The primary outcome was rapid shallow breathing index (RSBI), and secondary outcomes were respiratory rate (RR), tidal volume (TV) and ventilation per minute (MV).ResultsThough there was no significant difference in the parameter between the acupuncture group and the control group, we found the trend of decreasing RSBI in the acupuncture group. In subgroup analyses, the mean of RSBI significantly decreased 16.02 (with the SD in 60.84) in acupuncture group, while it increased 17.84 (with the SD in 39.38) in control group (p=0.036) after 12 sessions.ConclusionAcupuncture treatment can improve breathing ability of patients with respirator dependence in respiratory care center.
ISSN:2213-4220
2213-4239
DOI:10.1016/j.imr.2023.100997