Preventive Effects of Acupoint Injection at Zusanli against Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting after Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Objective To investigate effects of acupoint injection at Zusanli in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting(PONV) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy(LC).Methods Seventy-two patients,scheduled for LC,were randomly allocated to three groups with 24 cases each.Patients in group A were treated with acupoint injection at Zusanli of 10% glucose 3 ml plus dexamethasone 10 mg plus droperidol 2.5 mg;Group B received intravenous injection of the same drugs as group A;and Group C were treated with acupoint injection at Zusanli of equal volume of normal saline.The incidence of PONV in groupA,B,and C was observed 24 h after LC.Results The PONV incidence of group A,B,and C was 12.5%,25.0%,58.3%,respectively;PONV incidence in group A or B was significantly lower than that in group C(P0.01);and there was no statistical difference in PONV incidence between group A and group B(P0.05).Conclusion Acupoint or intravenous injection of dexamethasone and droperidol is effective in preventing PONV after LC;there is a trend that effects of acupoint injection are superior to intravenous injection in preventing PONV.