Acupuncture is one of the most widely used forms of traditional Chinese
medicine often referred to as alternative therapy in the Western World
and over the past decades it has become increasingly popular in Denmark.
Pneumothorax is known as the most common serious complication following
acupuncture, but it is quite rarely reported. During a three-month
period two patients with pneumothorax caused by acupuncture were
admitted to our department. The purpose of this case report is to
increase awareness of this complication, which may not be so uncommon.
Acupuncture is considered an alternative
medical therapy which has gained increasing popularity in treatment of
various conditions in the Western World including Denmark over the past
two decades (1).
Although acupuncture is used for a large variety of disorders, the
evidence base of clinical efficacy is essentially limited to back and
neck pain, assisted conception, idiopathic headache, and nausea/vomiting
whether induced by chemotherapy or in a postoperative setting (2).
The widespread use of acupuncture has increased the need for valid
information on safety issues. Serious and potentially life-threatening
acupuncture-related complications are very rarely reported but include
transmission of infections, pneumothorax, cardiovascular lesions, and
haemorrhage or haematomas including the central nervous system (3).
Within
a few months two patients were admitted to our department with
pneumothorax following acupuncture, which prompted us to prepare a case
report speculating that this serious complication may be under-reported.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3755677/
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