Korean hand acupressure for motion sickness in prehospital trauma care: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded trial in a geriatric population.
Patients with trauma or medical illnesses transported to the hospital by ambulance have a frequent incidence of motion sickness. Because the administration of drugs in the ambulance is prohibited by law in Austria, the noninvasive Korean hand acupressure point at K-K9 may be an alternative against nausea and vomiting. We enrolled 100 geriatric patients with minor trauma, randomizing them into a K-K9 group and a sham acupressure group. We recorded visual analog scores (VAS) for nausea and for the patient's overall satisfaction with the treatment, hemodynamic variables, and peripheral vasoconstriction. In the K-K9 group, a significant (P < 0.01) increase in nausea was recorded in all cases: from VAS of 0 mm to 25 +/- 6 mm. A similarly significant (P < 0.01) increase was registered in the sham group: from VAS of 0 mm to 83 +/- 8 mm. However, at the time of arrival in the hospital, nausea scores were significantly different between the K-K9 group and the sham group (P < 0.01). Although all patients had been vasoconstricted at the emergency site before treatment, there was a significant difference (P < 0.01) between groups with regard to the number of vasoconstricted patients at the hospital (4 and 46 constricted and dilated, respectively, in the K-K9 group versus 48 and 2 constricted and dilated, respectively, in the sham group). On arrival in the hospital, a significant difference (P < 0.01) in heart rate was noted between the K-K9 group and the sham group (65 +/- 6 bpm versus 98 +/- 8 bpm). The patients' overall satisfaction with the provided care was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the K-K9 group (19 +/- 9 mm VAS) than in the sham group (48 +/- 12 mm VAS). Neither group experienced a significant change in blood pressure. K-K9 stimulation was an effective and simple treatment for nausea during emergency care and significantly improved patient satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
Korean hand acupressure at the K-K9 point was effective in reducing nausea and subjective symptoms of motion sickness in emergency trauma transport of patients at high risk of motion sickness.
Bertalanffy
Petra
P
*Department of Anaesthesiology and General Intensive Care, University Hospital of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; and †Vienna Red Cross, Van Swieten and the Research Institute of the Vienna Red Cross, Vienna, Austria.
Hoerauf
Klaus
K
Fleischhackl
Roman
R
Strasser
Helmut
H
Wicke
Franziska
F
Greher
Manfred
M
Gustorff
Burkhard
B
Kober
Alexander
A
D019050:Acupressure; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009041:Motion Sickness / Q000628:therapy*; D009325:Nausea / Q000517:prevention & control; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014187:Transportation of Patients; D014717:Vertigo / Q000517:prevention & control; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*