A Review on the Efficacy of Acupuncture to Prevent Nausea and Vomiting after Strabismus Surgery

Abstract

Strabismus surgery, as a common operation, is associated with post-operative nausea and vomiting, which may increase in intraocular eye pressure and this can have some bad influences on outcomes of ophthalmic surgery. Different methods such as acupoint stimulation have been utilized to reduce this complication. This paper is a review on the effect of different types of acupoint stimulation in prevention of nausea and vomiting after strabismus surgery. This review evaluates and summarizes the outcomes of 8 papers, published from 1991 to 2015, which were identified through a careful search in PubMed and Google Scholar. There are many factors that can affect testing results of acu-stimulation methods for controlling nausea and vomiting after strabismus surgery. Although many studies have confirmed acupoint stimulation as a useful method, there are some papers with different results. Most of studies indicate that the application of acupoint stimulation in a suitable clinical setting can reduce nausea and vomiting after strabismus surgery. More studies in various clinical-conditions should be scheduled to improve evidence-based guidelines.

Keywords

• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Strabismus surgery
• Anesthesia