BACKGROUND

Renal colic is one of the worst types of pain in acute renal colic caused by urinary calculi (ARCUC). We previously proved that acupuncture can alleviate the pain in ARCUC patients, but its effect on suspected ARCUC remains unclear.

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture in patients with suspected ARCUC.

AIM

This prospective, double-blind, sham acupuncture-controlled, randomized clinical trial was conducted from July 2021 to June 2024 in an emergency department in China.

METHODS

The patients immediately received acupuncture treatment or sham acupuncture treatment after randomization. The primary outcome was the response rate at 10 minutes (pain relief rate) after needle manipulation. The secondary outcomes included the response rates at 0, 5, 15, 20 and 30 minutes, trends in the numerical rating scale score over time, patient satisfaction, the analgesic injection rate at 30 minutes, the surgical intervention rate, the revisit rate and the occurrence of adverse events.

RESULTS

This trial enrolled 84 participants with suspected ARCUC patients, who immediately received acupuncture treatment or sham treatment after randomization. The pain response rates at 10 minutes were 64.3% and 16.7% in the acupuncture group and sham group, respectively, and the difference between the groups was 47.6% (95% CI, 29.3-66%; P < 0.01). The response rates of acupuncture were also significantly higher than those of sham acupuncture at 0, 5, 15, 20 and 30 minutes.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that acupuncture could alleviate the pain in patients with suspected ARCUC safely.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100049069.