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Safety and efficacy of wrist-ankle acupuncture in treating catheter-related bladder discomfort after transurethral resection of the prostate: a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Background Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related condition and its prevalence has increased as China’s population ages. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) remains the gold standard for treating moderate to severe BPH. Routine placement of a urinary catheter after TURP is often associated with catheter-related bladder discomfort (CRBD). The development of CRBD is related to an increased synthesis of prostaglandin (PG), and wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) can inhibit the expression of PG at the site of inflammation, thus alleviating CRBD symptoms. Here we evaluated the efficacy of WAA in alleviating CRBD in patients undergoing TURP. Methods A total of 46 patients who underwent elective TURP in Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from June 2022 to July 2022 were randomly divided into two groups according to the complete randomization method. The WAA group (n=23) and the control group (n=23). The WAA group received WAA, and the needles were retained for 24 h. The control group was treated with sham needles that did not penetrate the skin, and the needles were also retained for 24 h. At T1 (0 h after entering the ward), T2 (0.5 h after entering the ward), T3 (6 h after entering the ward), and T4 (24 h after entering the ward), CRBD severity score, visual analogue scale (VAS) and vital signs monitor were used for assessment. Accidents were recorded in the case report form. Graded data using Wlicoxon signed rank sum test, repeated measures using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results A total of 46 patients participated in this study, and 44 patients completed the experiment. At T2, T3, and T4, the severity of CRBD in the WAA group was significantly lower than that in the control group (all P<0.05), and the VAS pain score was significantly lower in the WAA group than in the control group (all P<0.05). In contrast, the vital signs, including mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and blood oxygen saturation, showed no statistical significance (all P>0.05). No accident occurred in both groups. Conclusions WAA can effectively relieve CRBD symptoms after TURP. WAA deserves further research and assessment for clinical practice. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry identifier: ChiCTR2200061525..