Acupuncture Risks
Complications associated with acupuncture. This page is under revision and will be updated with 2010-2011 links shortly. Related linksAcupuncture research and efficacy |
What's the harm in acupuncture?Reports of people harmed by acupuncture. Pneumothorax secondary to acupuncture therapyCase Report . Chauffe, Ryan J. BS; Duskin, Ann L. BS, BA, Southern Medical Journal (November 2006) Scarring moxibustion and religious scarification resulting in hepatitis C and hepatocellular carcinoma (Case Report)Author: Bardia, Aditya ; Williamson, Eric E. ; Bauer, Brent A. Lancet (May 2006) Paraplegia caused by spinal infection after acupunctureCase report of a 64-year-old man with psoas abscesses, epidural abscess and spondylitis after acupuncture. Spinal Cord (April 2006) An outbreak of post-acupuncture cutaneous infection due to Mycobacterium abscessusThe authors conclude: "We have identified a large outbreak of rapidly growing mycobacterial infection among patients who received acupuncture at a single Oriental medicine clinic. Physicians should suspect mycobacterial infections in patients with persistent cutaneous infections following acupuncture, and infection control education including hygienic practice, should be emphasized for Oriental medical doctors practicing acupuncture". BMC Infectious Diseases (January 2006) Multiloculated pleural empyema following acupunctureInfection (August 2005) Rectus sheath hematoma after acupunctureJournal of Emergency Medicine (July 2005) Successful removal of migrated acupuncture needles in a patient with cardiac tamponade by means of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic assistanceJournal of Thoracic Cardiovascular Surgery (July 2005) Cervical subdural empyema following acupunctureJournal of Clinical Neuroscience (November 2004) Acupuncturists insist that the treatment is entirely without risks. But how do we know until we test it?'Article by Edzard Ernst which reaches the conclusion "Based on prospective studies of almost 200,000 consultations, we are now able to state for the first time in its long history that acupuncture is reasonably safe." The Guardian (2nd November 2004) A cumulative review of the range and incidence of significant adverse events associated with acupunctureAcupuncture in Medicine [Journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society] (September 2004) Intra-abdominal abscess after acupunctureReport in Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies [FACT] (September 2004) Accidents in acupuncture treatment: History and current state"Nowadays, acupuncture therapy is being used in more than 140 countries, and acupuncture accidents due to improper application are increasing. Prevention of acupuncture accidents has become a global issue deserving of great attention." Zhang R, Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao (July 2004) Necrotising fasciitis: a life-threatening complication of acupuncture in a patient with diabetes mellitus"Since many old diabetic patients with degenerative joint diseases may consider this mode of treatment, guidelines on cleanliness and sterility of this procedure should be developed and practiced." Singapore Medical Journal (April 2004) [pdf] Case report of tension pneumothorax related to acupunctureAcupunct Med. (March 2004) Patient reports of adverse events associated with acupuncture treatment: a prospective national surveyQuality & Safety in Health Care (2004) Is acupuncture a risk factor for hepatitis? Systematic review of epidemiological studiesConcludes that a modest association between hepatitis C and acupuncture has been reported in some countries. This emphasizes the importance of exclusively using disposable acupuncture needles. J. Gastroenterol Hepatol. (November 2003) An autopsy case of bilateral tension pneumothorax after acupunctureLeg. Med. (Tokyo) (September 2003) Mycobacterium chelonae infaction with multiple cutaneous lesions after treatment with acupunctureInternational Journal of Dermatology (August 2003) Retroperitoneal Abscess Complicated by AcupunctureJournal of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (2003) [pdf] Localized argyria 20 years after embedding of acupuncture needlesEuropean Journal of Dermatology (Nov-Dec 2002) Relatively alcohol-resistant mycobacteria are emerging pathogens in patients receiving acupuncture treatment"Mycobacterial infections transmitted by acupuncture are an emerging problem. A high index of suspicion is essential to recognize this clinical syndrome, and strict implementation of proper infection control guidelines for acupuncture is mandatory." Journal of Clinical Microbiology (April 2002) Acupuncture-associated arthritis in a joint with an orthopaedic implantReport of a rare case of intra-articular bacterial knee infection due to inadvertent acupuncture needle penetration. Journal of Infection (January 2002) Prospective studies of the safety of acupuncture: a systematic reviewConcludes that although the incidence of minor adverse events associated with acupuncture may be considerable, serious adverse events are rare. Those responsible for establishing competence in acupuncture should consider how to reduce these risks. E. Ernst and A. R. White, American Journal of Medicine (April 2001) Acute intracranial hemorrhage caused by acupunctureHeadache (March 2001) Cardiac tamponade following acupuncture"Although acupuncture represents a relatively safe therapeutic intervention, this case report should remind all acupuncturists of possible and sometimes life-threatening adverse effects." Chest (December 2000) A case of acupuncture needle dermatitisMasui (August 2000) Hepatitis B from acupunctureReport in Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies [FACT] (March 2000) Acupuncture needles as a cause of bacterial endocarditis(Scroll to report) British Medical Journal July 1983 [pdf] Traumatic complications of acupuncture. Therapists need to know human anatomyArchives of Family Medicine (November-December 1999) Acupuncture: safety firstE. Ernst, A. White, British Medical Journal (10th May 1997) Bilateral psoas abscesses following acupuncture.The Western Journal of Medicine (July 1994) Spinal cord stab injury by acupuncture needle: a case reportNo Shinkei Geka (February 1994) Spinal epidural hematoma with subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by acupunctureAmerican Journal of Neuroradiology (March-April 1993) Pneumothorax resulting from acupunctureCanandian Association of Radiologists Journal (April 1991) Iatrogenic pneumothorax caused by acupunctureRev. Paul. Med. (Jul-Aug 1990) Foreign body in the median nerve: a complication of acupunctureJournal of Hand Surgery (February 1990) An acupuncture-associated outbreak of hepatitis B in JerusalemEuropean Journal of Epidemiology (September 1988) A large outbreak of acupuncture-associated hepatitis BAmerican Journal of Epidemiology (March 1988) Spinal cord and root injuries due to glass fragments and acupuncture needlesSurgical Neurology (March 1985) Direct spinal cord and root injury caused by acupuncture — report of 2 casesNo Shinkei Geka (September 1984) Prosthetic valve endocarditis in a patient with Marfan's syndrome following acupunctureJ. Heart Valve Dis. (September 2001) Injury to the spinal cord produced by acupuncture needleSurgical Neurology February 1979 Bacterial meningitis and lumbar epidural hematoma due to lumbar acupunctures: a case reportKaohsiung J. Med Sci (May 1977) |