Acupuncture
has been used to effectively treat a wide range of disorders and it is a safe
modality with only minor side effects when it is performed in the hands of
experienced practitioners. Complications of acupuncture treatment such as
pneumothorax and severe infections etc may occur if the rules of acupuncture
practice are not followed.
Pneumothorax
refers to a collection of air in the pleural cavity (between the lung and the
chest wall) and ranks the top of major complications arising from acupuncture.
It is caused by too deep insertion or wrong anger of needle insertion due to
lack of anatomical knowledge or carelessness performance.
Recently
Dr. Demir and colleagues in Turkey reported a case of pneumothorax following acupuncture
treatment. A 24-year-old female patient with severe chest pain was admitted
into the emergency room of hospital. She had a chronic neck pain caused by
cervical hernia and received medical treatment for three years but did not
respond well to the treatment. Then acupuncture treatment was given with
needles applied on her suprascapular region by a physical therapy specialist.
She started to suffer severe pain shortly after acupuncture. Chest X-ray showed
a reduced density in the right upper zone of periphery. Thoracic computed
tomography showed evidence of a small pneumothorax covering almost 15% of the
right hemithorax. The progression of pneumothorax was monitored by means of
daily X-ray. The size of pneumothorax reached 20% on third day and a chest tube
was placed in pleural space. Air leakage disappeared and tube was removed on
the seventh day in hospital. Then patient was discharged from the hospital.
The
report suggests that acupuncturists should be well-trained and be familiar with
anatomy of treatment region for avoidance of potential complications.
Reference:
Demir M et al., A
rare complication of acupuncture: pneumothorax. Tuberk Toraks. 2014 Dec;62(4):316-318.
http://www.tuberktoraks.org/managete/fu_folder/2014-04/2014-62-04-316-318.pdf
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