Postoperative nausea and vomiting (
PONV) is one of the most common postoperative complications. Aside from pharmacological interventions, other complementary healing modalities have been introduced to assist patients in decreasing
PONV and improving postoperative outcomes. This study examined
acupressure as a safe
complement to the more traditional approach of using drugs to prevent and/or relieve
nausea and
vomiting in the
Cesarean section (C/S) under
spinal anesthesia. In a prospective randomized clinical trial, 152 patients who were candidate for elective C/S under
spinal anesthesia were evaluated in two groups (
acupressure vs control groups). Subjects in the
acupressure group received constant pressure by a specific wrist elastic band (without
puncture of the skin) on the Nei-Guan
acupuncture point, 30 min prior to
spinal anesthesia. The incidence of
PONV was assessed during the surgery, at recovery room and at 1st, 2nd and 3rd two hours after the surgery. Significant differences in the incidence of the post-operative
nausea and
vomiting were found between the
acupressure and control groups, with a reduction in the incidence rate of
nausea from 35.5% to 13.2%. The amount of vomitus and the degree of discomfort were, respectively, less and lower in the study group. In view of the total absence of side-effects in
acupressure, its application is worthy. Our study confirmed the effectiveness of
acupressure in preventing post-operative
nausea and
vomiting, when applied 30 minutes prior to surgery.