Data from: Auriculotherapy in the prevention of postoperative urinary retention in patients with thoracotomy and thoracic epidural analgesia: a randomized, double-blinded trial

Background: Thoracic epidural analgesia is associated with a high rate of
postoperative urine retention (POUR). Auriculotherapy can reduce visceral
dysfunction and can be helpful in anesthesiology and pain control. The aim
of this study was to test the efficacy of preoperative auriculotherapy to
decrease the occurrence of POUR. Methods: This single-center,
double-blinded, two-arm randomized study was performed between January
2015 and May 2016 in a tertiary care university hospital. Male patients
scheduled for an elective lung surgical procedure under combined general
anesthesia and thoracic epidural analgesia were included. Auriculotherapy
(A group) was performed once the patient was under general anesthesia with
five semi-permanent needles inserted in both ears at the “Shen Men”,
“bladder”, “pelvic parasympathetic”, “anterior hypothalamus”, and “frontal
lobe” points). Five small round patches of adhesive pads were positioned
bilaterally at the same points in the Control group (C group). The main
outcome measure was the requirement for bladder catheterization during the
day and the first night following surgery. Results: Fifty-three patients
were randomized and 25 analyzed in each group. Requirement for bladder
catheterization was different between groups: 24 C group patients (96%)
and 18 A group patients (72%) (p=0.049, Fisher exact test; Odds Ratio=0.11
[0.01–0.95]. The number of patients needed to treat with auriculotherapy
to avoid one case of bladder catheterization was four. No adverse effect
was observed due to auriculotherapy. Conclusion: This study demonstrates
that auriculotherapy is a safe and useful technique reducing POUR in
thoracotomy patients benefiting from thoracic epidural analgesia.

背景：胸段硬膜外镇痛（Thoracic epidural analgesia）与较高的术后尿潴留（Postoperative Urine Retention, POUR）发生率相关。耳穴疗法（Auriculotherapy）可减轻内脏功能障碍，在麻醉学与疼痛控制领域具有应用价值。本研究旨在评估术前耳穴疗法降低POUR发生率的有效性。方法：本研究为单中心、双盲、双臂随机对照试验，于2015年1月至2016年5月在某三级教学医院开展。纳入拟在全身麻醉联合胸段硬膜外镇痛下接受择期肺部手术的男性患者。试验组（A组）在患者全身麻醉诱导后，于双耳「神门」「膀胱」「盆腔副交感神经」「下丘脑前部」及「额叶」穴位植入5根半永久性针具；对照组（C组）则在相同双侧穴位粘贴5枚小型圆形敷贴。主要结局指标为术后当日及第一夜的导尿需求情况。结果：共53例患者接受随机分组，每组各25例纳入最终分析。两组导尿需求存在显著差异：对照组24例（96%）需接受导尿，试验组18例（72%）需接受导尿（费希尔精确检验p=0.049，优势比=0.11[0.01~0.95]）。耳穴疗法避免1例导尿所需治疗的患者数为4例。未观察到耳穴疗法相关的不良事件。结论：本研究证实，对于接受胸段硬膜外镇痛的开胸手术患者，耳穴疗法是一种安全且有效的降低POUR发生率的干预手段。