Objectifying acupuncture effects by lung function and numeric rating scale in patients undergoing heart surgery.

Rationale. Poststernotomy pain and impaired breathing are common clinical problems in early postoperative care following heart surgery. Insufficiently treated pain increases the risk of pulmonary complications. High-dose opioids are used for pain management, but they may cause side effects such as respiratory depression.Study Design. We performed a prospective, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded, three-armed clinical trial with 100 patients. Group 1 (n=33) and Group 2 (n=34) received one 20 min session of standardized acupuncture treatment with two different sets of acupoints. Group 3 (n=33) served as standard analgesia control without additional intervention. Results. Primary endpoin…