The effects of preoperative anxiety and acupressure on postoperative nausea and vomiting in breast surgery

Abstract

Aim: Postoperative nausea and vomiting are common complications following surgery and anesthesia. Antiemetic drugs are highly effective for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting, but there may be increased costs and undesirable side effects may occur. Acupuncture stimulation methods successfully prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting and are non-invasive. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture point on postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing breast surgery. Materials and Methods: Patients aged between 18 and 60 years were included in the study. Patients were randomized into one of two groups: acupressure and control. In the acupressure group, 30 minutes before surgery, acupressure wrist bands were placed at the P6 point. In the controls, wrist bands were placed at a non-acupoint site. Results: Fifty patients received acupressure and 50 were controls. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic characteristics. At the postoperative 24th hour, 46% of patients in the acupressure group had nausea and vomiting compared to 74% controls. The difference between the groups was significant (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between postoperative nausea and vomiting scores at 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24th hours. The severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting was significantly lower with acupressure (p<0.05). The incidence of antiemetic use was significantly lower with the acupressure group. Conclusions: Compared to antiemetic drugs there are no side effects or drug interaction with acupressure. Thus patients may easily accept it. Therefore, acupressure may be an effective alternative therapy for postoperative antiemetic therapy.