Effect of perioperative electroacupuncture as an adjunctive therapy an postoperative analgesia with tramadol and ketamine in prostatectomy: a randomised sham-controlled single-blind trial.

Ntritsou V, Mavrommatis C, Kostoglou C, Dimitriadis G, Tziris N, Zagka P, Vasilakos D.
Acupunct Med. 2014 June; 32(3): 215-22. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/acupmed-2013-010498
 
Electroacupuncture could become an important part of a postsurgical pain regimen.
 
A recent study by Ntritsou et al. (2014) examined the effects of electroacupuncture in combination with common analgesics tramadol and ketamine. The sham-controlled and randomized study involved 70 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. Following prostate removal, electroacupuncture was applied twice at points LI-4 and ST-36 for a 30 minute period, during the closure of the patient’s abdominal walls and again at extubation.
 
The researchers found that patients who received electroacupuncture had less pain and lower cortisol levels, restarted bowel movements faster, and had less need for rescue analgesia following surgery. In addition, these patients had greater feelings of well-being post surgery, and reported greater satisfaction with their analgesic technique. Results were published in the June 2014 issue ofAcupuncture in Medicine.
 
The authors write, “Adding electroacupuncture perioperatively should be considered an option as part of a multimodal analgesic strategy.”
 
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