# Auricular acupressure for minimizing adverse reactions to colonoscopic bowel preparation in hospitalized patients: A randomized controlled trial

## TL;DR

A study found that auricular acupressure can reduce adverse reactions like nausea during colonoscopy bowel prep in hospitalized patients.

## Contribution

This is the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating auricular acupressure's effectiveness in reducing bowel prep adverse reactions.

## Key findings

- Auricular acupressure reduced overall adverse reaction incidence from 62.11% to 37.89%.
- Nausea incidence decreased by 15.79% in the acupressure group.
- No adverse effects from auricular acupressure were observed.

## Abstract

To assess the effectiveness and safety of auricular acupressure in reducing the incidence of adverse reactions(ADRs) during the bowel preparation.

This was a prospective, assessor-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial implemented at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Between October 2022 and February 2023, 190 hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group received auricular acupressure during bowel preparation, whereas the control group received no additional treatment. Analyses were conducted using the intention-to-treat method. Intervention effects were evaluated by comparing outcomes between the two groups.

The overall incidence of ADRs to bowel preparation in the intervention group (37/95 = 37.89 %) was lower than that in the control group (59/95 = 62.11 %, P < 0.05). Compared with control group, the incidence of nausea in the intervention group decreased by 15.79 %(95%CI 0.03–0.19, P = 0.018), whereas no significant difference was observed in the incidence of abdominal distension(P > 0.05). Regarding the comparison of the severity of the ADRs, the overall score of ADRs and the scores for nausea and abdominal distension in the intervention group were statistically lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). No auricular acupressure-related adverse effect was observed.

Auricular acupressure can significantly decrease the incidence of ADRs to colonoscopic bowel preparation in patients and alleviate the severity of nausea and bloating symptoms, which is a safe, simple, and effective method.

ChiCTR, no. ChiCTR2200061742; Registered July 2, 2022. URL: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=167796.

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•A TCM trial tested auricular acupressure's effect on adverse reactions to bowel prep.•Auricular acupressure reduced adverse reactions to bowel prep significantly.•Nausea and abdominal distension severity were reduced by auricular acupressure.•Auricular acupressure may offer a new treatment for adverse reactions to bowel prep.

A TCM trial tested auricular acupressure's effect on adverse reactions to bowel prep.

Auricular acupressure reduced adverse reactions to bowel prep significantly.

Nausea and abdominal distension severity were reduced by auricular acupressure.

Auricular acupressure may offer a new treatment for adverse reactions to bowel prep.