Acupuncture vs. Morphine for Emergency Department Patients with Pain

Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH, reviewing Grissa MH et al. Am J Emerg Med 2016 Jul 20

A large randomized trial finds acupuncture to be superior.

Acupuncture has been studied for a variety of conditions and has been found to be effective for some. Now, investigators in Tunisia have conducted a randomized trial comparing acupuncture to morphine for treatment of pain in 300 emergency department (ED) patients with moderate to severe pain from a variety of causes.

Morphine was administered at an initial dose of 0.1 mg/kg, followed by 0.05 mg/kg every 5 minutes until reaching a maximum dose of 15 mg or a 50% or greater reduction in pain score on a visual analog pain scale (the main outcome). Acupuncture was performed according to a semi-standardized protocol.

A reduction in pain score ≥50% was achieved more often in the acupuncture group compared with the morphine group (92% vs. 78%) and was achieved faster (mean time, 16 vs. 28 minutes). Minor adverse events were more common in the morphine group (57%) than in the acupuncture group (3%).