Bleeding acupuncture

A recent materials innovation in this field describes a method for coating microporous calcium phosphate onto stainless steel acupuncture needles [18]. The incorporation of trehalose into the porous coating acted as a model fast-dissolving reservoir for the potential loading and stabilizing of protein and DNA vaccines. The coated needles were shown to remain intact following contravention of the stratum corneum and allow access of the coated material to the viable epidermis. Importantly, no evidence of skin reaction, bleeding, or infection was observed. 

In a prospective UK survey of members of the medical and physiotherapy acupuncture organizations in Britain the preliminary data included 25 500 treatments given by 77 acupuncturists (64). There were 29 major events, including four episodes of loss of consciousness and one tonic-clonic seizure. The most common minor events were bleeding or hematoma (3%), aggravation of symptoms (1%), and pain during needling (0.9%). 

A systematic review of aU prospective studies of adverse effects associated with acupuncture included nine primary investigations (67). The most commonly reported adverse events were needle pain (1-45%), tiredness (2-41%), and bleeding (0.03-38%). Pneumothorax was the only serious complication in these studies it was reported twice in about 250 000 patients. 

Two prospective UK studies with a total of about 70 000 consultations have confirmed that serious adverse events of acupuncture are true rarities in Britain (68,69). Bleeding and needle pain were the most frequent adverse events, with a prevalence of about 1 1000. 

An 83-year-old Austrian woman developed syncope and cardiogenic shock shortly after acupuncture over the sternum. Echocardiography showed cardiac tamponade and pericardiocentesis revealed hemopericardium. At operation a small bleeding perforation of the right ventricle was found and closed. The acupuncture at the point Ren 17 was above a sternal foramen, which allowed the needle to penetrate the heart. 

Observational studies In a Korean retrospective cross-sectional survey of 1095 subjects who used acupuncture, 75 (6.8%) described negative short-term acupuncture reactions, including feelings of pain in 37 (3.4%), tiredness in 24 (2.2%), and dizziness in nine (0.8%). The only adverse event reported was bleeding in 92 (8.4%) of the participants [121 ]. 

In a review of case reports and prospective surveys of adverse events focusing on Japanese acupuncture , almost all of the adverse reactions commonly seen in acupuncture practice, such as fatigue, drowsiness, aggravation of existing symptoms, minor bleeding, pain on insertion, and subcutaneous hemorrhage, were mild and transient [124 ]. 

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