Wrist Acupressure for Post-operative Nausea and Vomiting: A randomised controlled trial

Wrist acupressure for post-operative nausea and vomiting: a comparison of PC 6 acupoint stimulation versus placebo for reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting in cardiac surgery patients

Status

Withdrawn

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12614000589684

Acronym

WRAP

Enrollment

712

Registered

2014-06-04

Start date

2015-02-02

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common unwanted complications for patients following anaesthesia/cardiac surgery, affecting at least 1:3 patients, despite pharmacologic treatment. Patients have a strong preference for avoiding PONV: satisfaction with anaesthetic care and subsequent quality of health care is strongly related to experiences of PONV. Acupressure is one alternative approach thought to prevent nausea and vomiting through an alteration in endorphins and serotonin levels and is an intervention endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This two-group, parallel, superiority, randomised controlled trial (RCT) will test the efficacy of PC6 acupoint stimulation versus placebo for reducing PONV in cardiac surgery patients.

Interventions

Participants in acupressure wristband group will have the Seaband "Registered Trademark" wristband applied on arrival to ICU from surgery to both wrists by a Registered Nurse (bilateral application is recommended) ensuring the bead stimulates the Neiguan (PC6) acupoint. The wristbands are elasticized to encircle the wrist, will be covered with a light opaque covering bandage and will be removed at 36 hours from admission time to ICU after final outcome measurement.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Prevention

Masking

Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Elective + urgent primary cardiac surgery (CABG; valve and double valve replacement; CABG + single valve replacement); able to understand, speak, read and write English; and over 18 years of age and able to give informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria: Impaired renal function – creatinine level >200 or eGFR<50; patients receiving antiemetic medication within 24-hours prior to surgery, or histamine H2-receptor antagonist within 24-hours prior to surgery; skin damage (e.g. burn scars) over PC6 area; wrist circumference >21cm; emergency cases; radial artery harvest for conduit in CABG; and previous experience of acupressure for nausea and/or vomiting including morning sickness, chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting and travel sickness.

Outcome results