PMID- 22106073
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20120124
LR  - 20220419
IS  - 1098-4275 (Electronic)
IS  - 0031-4005 (Linking)
VI  - 128
IP  - 6
DP  - 2011 Dec
TI  - The safety of pediatric acupuncture: a systematic review.
PG  - e1575-87
LID - 10.1542/peds.2011-1091 [doi]
AB  - CONTEXT: Acupuncture is increasingly used in children; however, the safety of 
      pediatric acupuncture has yet to be reported from systematic review. OBJECTIVE: 
      To identify adverse events (AEs) associated with needle acupuncture in children. 
      METHODS: Eighteen databases were searched, from inception to September 2010, 
      irrespective of language. Inclusion criteria were that the study (1) was original 
      peer-reviewed research, (2) included children from birth to 17 years, 
      inclusively, (3) involved needle acupuncture, and (4) included assessment of AEs 
      in a child. Safety data were extracted from all included studies. RESULTS: Of 
      9537 references identified, 450 were assessed for inclusion. Twenty-eight reports 
      were included, and searches of reference lists identified 9 additional reports 
      (total: 37). A total of 279 AEs were identified, 146 from randomized controlled 
      trials, 95 from cohort studies, and 38 from case reports/series. Of the AEs, 25 
      were serious (12 cases of thumb deformity, 5 infections, and 1 case each of 
      cardiac rupture, pneumothorax, nerve impairment, subarachnoid hemorrhage, 
      intestinal obstruction, hemoptysis, reversible coma, and overnight 
      hospitalization), 1 was moderate (infection), and 253 were mild. The mild AEs 
      included pain, bruising, bleeding, and worsening of symptoms. We calculated a 
      mild AE incidence per patient of 168 in 1422 patients (11.8% [95% confidence 
      interval: 10.1-13.5]). CONCLUSIONS: Of the AEs associated with pediatric needle 
      acupuncture, a majority of them were mild in severity. Many of the serious AEs 
      might have been caused by substandard practice. Our results support those from 
      adult studies, which have found that acupuncture is safe when performed by 
      appropriately trained practitioners.
FAU - Adams, Denise
AU  - Adams D
AD  - Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
FAU - Cheng, Florence
AU  - Cheng F
FAU - Jou, Hsing
AU  - Jou H
FAU - Aung, Steven
AU  - Aung S
FAU - Yasui, Yutaka
AU  - Yasui Y
FAU - Vohra, Sunita
AU  - Vohra S
LA  - eng
GR  - Canadian Institutes of Health Research/Canada
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Review
PT  - Systematic Review
DEP - 20111121
PL  - United States
TA  - Pediatrics
JT  - Pediatrics
JID - 0376422
SB  - IM
MH  - Acupuncture Therapy/*adverse effects
MH  - Adolescent
MH  - Child
MH  - Child, Preschool
MH  - Humans
MH  - Infant
MH  - Infant, Newborn
MH  - Severity of Illness Index
EDAT- 2011/11/23 06:00
MHDA- 2012/01/25 06:00
CRDT- 2011/11/23 06:00
PHST- 2011/11/23 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2011/11/23 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2012/01/25 06:00 [medline]
AID - peds.2011-1091 [pii]
AID - 10.1542/peds.2011-1091 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Pediatrics. 2011 Dec;128(6):e1575-87. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-1091. Epub 2011 Nov 
      21.