Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 123 Dapi Road, Kaohsiung City, 83301, Taiwan.
Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
Support Care Cancer. 2019 Sep;27(9):3473-3478. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-4655-1. Epub 2019 Jan 24.
Constipation is a common and distressing symptom for patients with advanced cancer. Few reports have focused on the symptoms of constipation in patients with advanced cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a short-term acupressure intervention on patients with advanced cancer.
This study used a non-randomized, pre-post study design to assess the effect of acupressure intervention. A total of 30 patients with advanced cancer were recruited from the hospice unit of a medical center in southern Taiwan. In addition to routine care, patients in the intervention group received an 8-min acupressure treatment daily for 3 consecutive days. Three acupoints were used in this study: Zhongwan (CV12), Guanyuan (CV4), and Tianshu (ST25). Analysis of covariance was used to compare the differences in symptoms of constipation between the two groups, adjusted for baseline values. Effect sizes were calculated using partial eta squared (η).
Significant improvements in symptoms of constipation (partial η = 0.40, p < 0.001 for straining during defecation; partial η = 0.30, p = 0.002 for hard stools; partial η = 0.42, p < 0.001 for sensation of incomplete evacuation; and partial η = 0.29, p = 0.002 for sensation of anorectal obstruction), Bristol stool form scale scores (partial η = 0.40, p < 0.001), comfort levels during defecation (partial η = 0.82, p < 0.001), and colonic motility (partial η = 0.85, p < 0.001) were observed in patients receiving acupressure intervention compared with the controls.
Findings from this study indicated that short-term acupressure was effective in alleviating symptoms of constipation among patients with advanced cancer. Further, randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm the results.
便秘是晚期癌症患者常见且令人痛苦的症状。很少有报道关注晚期癌症患者的便秘症状。本研究旨在探讨短期穴位按压干预对晚期癌症患者的影响。
本研究采用非随机、前后对照设计评估穴位按压干预的效果。共招募了来自台湾南部一家医疗中心临终关怀病房的 30 名晚期癌症患者。除常规护理外，干预组患者每天接受 8 分钟的穴位按压治疗，连续 3 天。本研究使用了三个穴位：中脘（CV12）、关元（CV4）和天枢（ST25）。采用协方差分析比较两组患者便秘症状的差异，调整基线值。使用部分 eta 平方（η）计算效应大小。
穴位按压干预组患者在排便时费力（部分 η=0.40，p<0.001）、粪便过硬（部分 η=0.30，p=0.002）、排便不尽感（部分 η=0.42，p<0.001）和肛门直肠梗阻感（部分 η=0.29，p=0.002）等便秘症状，Bristol 粪便形状量表评分（部分 η=0.40，p<0.001）、排便舒适度（部分 η=0.82，p<0.001）和结肠动力（部分 η=0.85，p<0.001）均有显著改善。
本研究结果表明，短期穴位按压可有效缓解晚期癌症患者的便秘症状。需要进一步进行随机对照试验来确认这些结果。
