Table 2.
Non-invasive auricular acupressure and changes in blood pressure and heart rate
| Study (author/year/design) | Subjects/age | Laterality/location of stimulation | Duration of stimulation | Changes in BP (mmHg) and HR (b.p.m.) before and after stimulations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barker et al., 200621: sham controlled | The 38 elderly with hip fracture: male 13.2%: 86 ± 4.8 (control, n = 20) vs. 87 ± 4.0 (active, n = 18) years | 1 acupoint without affect haemodynamics (control) 3 selected acupoints (active) |
1 min | In the sham stimulation group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 125 ± 7.4/78 ± 7.7/92 ± 12 and 126 ± 20/81 ± 13/90 ± 8.0, respectively. In the active stimulation group, the mean changes in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 125 ± 12/74 ± 9.4/95 ± 8.3 and 120 ± 19/73 ± 13/73 ± 9.4, respectively. |
| Yeh et al., 201522: randomized, controlled | 123 hypertensives: male 48.8%: 61 ± 7.7 (control, n = 60) vs. 60 ± 7.4 (active, n = 63) years | Routine care (control) 6 selected acupoints (active) |
2 min (3 times/day for 10 weeks) | In the control group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 125 ± 14/78 ± 4.2/69 ± 12 and 122 ± 14/77 ± 3.6/70 ± 13, respectively. In the active acupressure group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 127 ± 14/78 ± 5.3/64 ± 11 and 124 ± 13/76 ± 5.2/70 ± 11, respectively. |
| Kuo et al., 201623: randomized, controlled | 76 females with postpartum: male 0%: 33 ± 4.3 (control, n = 37) vs. 33 ± 3.6 (active, n = 39) years | Routine care (control) 1 selected acupoints (active) |
3 min (2 times/day for 4 days) | In the control group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 113 ± 16/72 ± 9.1/84 ± 12 and 119 ± 13/79 ± 9.6/86 ± 9.1, respectively. In the active acupressure group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 108 ± 16/70 ± 9.5/84 ± 12 and 113 ± 16/76 ± 12/77 ± 9.0, respectively. |
| Park et al., 202324: sham controlled | The 46 hypertensives: male 39.1%: 84 ± 5.7 (control, n = 22) vs. 82 ± 5.6 (active, n = 24) | 5 selected acupoints not related with haemodynamics (control) 5 selected acupoints related with haemodynamics (active) |
N/A (5 times/day for 8 weeks) |
In the control group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 139 ± 3.2/79 ± 1.4/72 ± 2.4 and 133 ± 2.7/73 ± 2.2/73 ± 2.0, respectively. In the active acupressure group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 146 ± 3.1/82 ± 1.3/74 ± 2.3 and 128 ± 2.6/77 ± 2.1/73 ± 1.9, respectively. |
| Kim and Park, 202325: placebo controlled | The 46 hypertensives: male 0%: 70 ± 4.8 (control, n = 23) vs. 71 ± 5.3 (active, n = 23) | No acupressure (control) 5 selected acupoints (active) |
N/A (8 weeks) | In the control group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 151 ± 8.3/83 ± 5.8/77 ± 4.0 and 150 ± 9.3/86 ± 8.1/77 ± 3.8, respectively. In the active stimulation, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 147 ± 6.8/83 ± 5.6/79 ± 6.8 and 141 ± 5.3/79 ± 4.5/74 ± 5.6, respectively. |
| Sajadi et al., 202326: sham controlled | 94 males undergoing non-emergency coronary angiography: male 100%: 52 ± 12 (control, n = 47) vs. 55 ± 12 (active, n = 47) years | 4 selected acupoints not-related with anxiety and endocrine (control) 4 selected acupoints related with anxiety and endocrine (active) |
Each point for 1 min (60 min before angiography) | In the sham group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 134 ± 1.3/90 ± 2.0/81 ± 1.9 and 133 ± 1.2/90 ± 1.9/81 ± 1.7, respectively. In the active acupressure group, the values in SBP/DBP/HR before and after procedure were 135 ± 1.2/89 ± 1.6/85 ± 1.3 and 132 ± 1.1/88 ± 1.6/81 ± 1.2, respectively. |
| Keshtkar et al., 202410: randomized controlled | 80 females with gestational hypertension: male 0%: 28 ± 5.0 (control, n = 40) vs. 27 ± 4.9 (active, n = 40) years | Routine care (control) Selected acupoints (active) |
6 times a day for at least 1 min (twice a week for 1 month) | In the control group, the values in SBP/DBP before and after procedure were 142 ± 4.6/88 ± 6.2/and 136 ± 5.0/84 ± 4.9, respectively. In the active acupressure group, the values in SBP/DBP before and after procedure were 143 ± 4.4/88 ± 6.2 and 131 ± 4.0/80 ± 1.2, respectively. |
BP, blood pressure; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure.