Bettini Elizabeth, Idiokitas Risi, Mahmood Laila, Jacobs Shana, Steinhorn David
Author Affiliations: Palliative Care, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC (Drs Bettini, Idiokitas, Mahmood, and Jacobs); and Capital Caring Hospice, Falls Church, Virginia (Dr Steinhorn).
Cancer Nurs. 2023;46(3):E204-E207. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001135. Epub 2022 Dec 1.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is associated with significant morbidity and high symptom burden including mucositis pain, nausea, and vomiting. There is little documentation in the literature regarding acupuncture or acupressure for children undergoing HSCT.
The purpose of this study was to determine the safety and acceptance of acupuncture and acupressure in children undergoing HSCT in a large tertiary care children's hospital.
This is a descriptive retrospective study that evaluated 80 admissions to the HSCT unit over a 24-month period. Every child admitted for HSCT was offered acupuncture or acupressure as part of their care.
Of 80 patients, 46 were male patients (ages range, 0-32 years; mean, 8 years). Diagnoses include leukemia/lymphoma, sickle cell disease, aplastic anemia, neuroblastoma, and other metabolic, other solid tumor, or other hematologic disorders. Both allogenic and autologous were represented. Sixty-six patients (82.5%) agreed to treatment with acupuncture, acupressure, or both. There were no adverse effects or safety concerns noted. Symptoms addressed by acupuncture or acupressure included pain from mucositis, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, anxiety, insomnia, and general wellness or healing.
This study demonstrates that acupuncture and acupressure are well accepted by children and their families admitted for HSCT and are safe even when performed in the first 4 weeks following transplant when the patient is likely to have thrombocytopenia.
These findings suggest that there may be more therapies for patients undergoing HSCT to help with symptom control.
造血干细胞移植（HSCT）会导致严重的发病情况以及较高的症状负担，包括黏膜炎疼痛、恶心和呕吐。文献中关于接受HSCT的儿童进行针灸或指压疗法的记录很少。
本研究的目的是确定在一家大型三级儿童专科医院中，接受HSCT的儿童对针灸和指压疗法的安全性及接受程度。
这是一项描述性回顾性研究，评估了24个月内HSCT科室的80例入院病例。每例因HSCT入院的儿童都接受了针灸或指压疗法作为其治疗的一部分。
80例患者中，46例为男性患者（年龄范围为0至32岁；平均年龄为8岁）。诊断包括白血病/淋巴瘤、镰状细胞病、再生障碍性贫血、神经母细胞瘤以及其他代谢性疾病、其他实体瘤或其他血液系统疾病。既有同种异体移植，也有自体移植。66例患者（82.5%）同意接受针灸、指压疗法或两者同时治疗。未发现不良反应或安全问题。针灸或指压疗法所针对的症状包括黏膜炎引起的疼痛、恶心、便秘、腹泻、焦虑、失眠以及整体健康或康复状况。
本研究表明，接受HSCT的儿童及其家庭对针灸和指压疗法接受度良好，即使在移植后的前4周患者可能出现血小板减少时进行治疗，也是安全的。
这些发现表明，对于接受HSCT的患者，可能有更多疗法有助于控制症状。
