Acupressure improves the postoperative comfort of gastric cancer patients: A randomised controlled trial

• Acupressure is simple, noninvasive to improve postoperative comfort in gastric cancer patients.
• Acupressure at P6 and ST36 alleviates pain and decreases the time until first flatus.
• Further study is warranted to elucidate how acupressure can improve postoperative outcomes.

SummaryObjectiveThis pilot study evaluated whether acupressure affected the postoperative comfort of gastric cancer patients following a subtotal gastrectomy.MethodsA randomised controlled trial was conducted. Sixty patients were recruited from 141-bed general surgery ward at a 3000-bed medical centre in Northern Taiwan. Participants were randomly assigned to either a control group receiving regular postoperative care or to the experimental group receiving additional acupressure at acupoints of Neiquan (P6) and Zusanli (ST36) for 3 consecutive days.ResultsThe similarities between two groups were in postoperative pain and the onset of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) at the baseline. Following acupressure, significant differences were found in postoperative pain (P = .03) and time of first flatus (P = .04); but not PONV (P = .49), nor the time of first defecation (P = .34).ConclusionsAcupressure is a simple, noninvasive, safe, and economical procedure for improving the comfort of patients who undergo surgery for gastric cancer. Acupressure at the P6 and ST36 acupoints can improve postoperative comfort by alleviating pain and decreasing the time until first flatus. However, additional research is necessary to elucidate how acupressure can improve postoperative outcomes.