The Effects of Acupressure on Nausea, Vomiting, and Vital Signs in Patients Undergoing Gynecologic Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE

This randomized controlled experimental study was conducted to determine the effect of acupressure on nausea, vomiting, and vital signs in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery.

DESIGN

A randomized controlled experimental study.

METHODS

Study participants consisted of females aged 18 to 65 years who underwent surgery in the gynecology clinic of the related hospital between October 2016 and March 2017. The sample originally consisted of 111 patients: K-K9 group (n = 39), P6 group (n = 37), and control group (n = 35). The point P6 in both wrists was determined, and the patients in that group wore a wristband 1 hour before the operation. The point K-K9 in both hands was determined, and one Black Pepper Seed was fixed on the point with the help of a plaster almost 1 hour before the operation. Once the wristband and the seed were placed, they remained in place for 24 hours. The control group received routine care, with no application of acupressure devices.

FINDINGS

Final sample number was 103 after six were lost to follow-up. Vital signs of the patients showed a difference between the intervention groups and control group after the surgical procedure. The pulse values varied at statistically significant levels according to groups in the first and second measurements. The respiratory values of the K-K9 and P6 groups were statistically lower than those in the control group in the first, second, fourth, and fifth measurements (P < .05). The first measurement of nausea scores varied statistically according to the groups. The K-K9 group nausea scores were statistically lower than those in the control group (P < .05). At the time of the first measurement, the number of those who retched in the P6 group was statistically higher than those in the K-K9 group (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

We examined the effect of two types of acupressure in the management of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the first 24 hours after gynecologic surgeries. Although some findings of ours did not show a statistically significant difference, these alternative therapies showed promise.