European Journal of Integrative Medicine | 2019
Adverse events of miniscalpel-needle treatment in Korea: A systematic review
Abstract
Abstract Introduction The miniscalpel-needle (MSN) acupuncture combines acupuncture and microinvasive surgery and is used extensively in China and Korea for the management of several painful conditions. Given the potential for this technique to cause damage to nerves and blood vessels, the aim of this systematic review was to investigate adverse events’ (AEs) characteristics associated with MSN treatment in Korea, and summarize the reporting of safety procedural guidelines. Methods Nine electronic databases were searched. Clinical studies reporting MSN treatment associated AEs in Korea were selected by two independent authors. Severity and causality of each AEs was assessed. Safety precautions and infection prevention measures of each study were summarized. Results Of the 45 relevant studies included in this review, 15 reported adverse events. The quality of AE data was generally poor. Most AEs associated with MSN treatment reported mild symptoms (local pain having certain causality and grade 1 severity with highly heterogeneous incidence), while few reported moderate-to- severe and systemic AEs (headache, dizziness, or tiredness, having probable/likely causality and grade 2 or 3 severity). The checklist drafts of safety precautions and infection preventions consisting of 10 and 11 sub-items, respectively, were established. Conclusions Due to the high heterogeneity and poor quality of AE data, the definite characteristics of the AEs were undetermined. The heterogeneity may have occurred from differences in the strictness of AE report and safety procedural guidelines. To improve this, we summarized the drafts of safety procedural guidelines. Our findings could be used in further studies to establish MSN treatment safety.