Acupuncture for pediatric sickle cell pain management: A promising non-opioid therapy

Abstract

Objective: To describe the use of acupuncture for pain management in children with sickle cell disease.

Design: A retrospective chart review of a single-institution experience on the use of acupuncture in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease was evaluated between 2012-2019. Demographic characteristics, presenting pain location, pain scores pre- and post-acupuncture, and adverse events were collected.

Setting: Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital Pediatric Hematology outpatient and inpatient units.

Interventions: Acupuncture was performed by six licensed acupuncturists. Point prescriptions were based on pain location, philosophies of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese Style of Kiiko Matsumoto acupuncture.

Main outcome measures: Pain reduction as measured by two Verbal Pain Scales.

Results: Ninety acupuncture treatments were administered to twenty-four patients with sickle cell disease: median age 17.5 years, 62 % female, 37.5 % African American, 50 % Hispanic. The mean treatment duration was 18.5 ± 4.8 min. Fifty-five treatments had documented pre/post-acupuncture pain scores. Pain reduction was achieved in 65.5 % of these treatments. A 0-10 pain scale used in 13 treatments reported a mean pre-acupuncture score of 7.31 ± 1.75, post-acupuncture score of 6.08 ± 1.85, and a mean pain score change of 1.23 ± 1.09 (p = 0.11); A 0-4 pain scale used in 42 treatments reported a mean pre-acupuncture pain score of 3.31 ± 0.72, post-acupuncture score of 2.33 ± 0.98, and a mean pain score change of 0.98 ± 0.99 (p < 0.0001). No adverse events were noted.

Conclusion: Acupuncture therapy decreased pain for our patients with sickle cell disease, providing a safe non-opioid therapeutic option.

Keywords: Acupuncture; Pain; Pediatrics; Sickle Cell Disease; Sickle Cell Pain Crisis.