Combination of acupoint herbal plaster and ear acupuncture for effective pain relief in patients after laparoscopic appendectomy

Laparoscopic appendectomy effectively treats appendicitis and other related conditions. However, postoperative pain remains a major concern. This study elucidates the effect of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapies on postoperative recovery of patients who had undergone laparoscopic appendectomy. The study encompassed 262 patients, including 41 controls and 221 TCM-treated patients. Quality control was monitored by two senior TCM physicians and one researcher. Postoperative outcomes included the length of hospitalization, antibiotic use, pain, analgesia and plasma drainage. No significant differences were observed between the groups concerning sex, age, acute appendicitis, postoperative complications and plasma drainage, except for pain and analgesia (both P<0.001). Moxibustion or partitioned moxibustion alone had no effect, compared with the control; however, ear acupuncture alone, acupoint herbal plaster + ear acupuncture, acupoint herbal plaster + moxibustion/partitioned moxibustion and acupoint herbal plaster + ear acupuncture + moxibustion/partitioned moxibustion exerted a significant effect. Pain index and analgesia duration were significantly lower for ear acupuncture alone than in the control group but remained higher than in the three acupoints herbal plaster–treated groups. The combination of acupoint herb plaster and ear acupuncture provided greater pain relief than ear acupuncture alone.