Agarwal 2000.
Methods | Parallel‐group randomized trial, conducted in India. Study dates not reported. | |
Participants | 200 people undergoing endoscopic urological surgery. Exclusion: patient refusal to participate in study, previous history of PONV and motion sickness, impaired renal function with increased urea and creatinine concentrations, diabetes mellitus, obesity, patients receiving antiemetic medication, histamine H₂ receptor antagonist within 72 hours of surgery. No participant withdrew from the study. | |
Interventions | Acupressure wristband placed at P6 points on both forearms, applied 30 min before induction of anaesthesia and removed after 6 hours following surgery (n = 100). Sham group was the spherical bead of acupressure wristbands placed on posterior surface, applied 30 min before induction of anaesthesia and removed 6 hours after surgery (n = 100). |
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Outcomes | Nausea (0 ‐ 24 h), vomiting (0 ‐ 24 h), side effects of acupressure, risk of rescue antiemetic drug. | |
Notes | Rescue antiemetic was ondansetron 4 mg IV. No side effects or complications noted in either group. No details about funding source or any declarations of interest among authors. | |
Risk of bias | ||
Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Low risk | "Patients were assigned to two different groups according to a computer‐generated table of random numbers". |
Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Insufficient information. |
Blinding of patients (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Insufficient information. |
Blinding of healthcare providers (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Insufficient information. |
Blinding of outcome assessor (detection bias) All outcomes | Low risk | "An anesthesiologist blinded to the therapy registered the incidence of nausea and vomiting at three different times in the first 24 hr postoperatively: on arrival of the patient in PACU, and at six hours (time of removal of acupressure wristband) and 24 hr after operation". |
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | "No patient was excluded after admission to the study". |
Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | All expected outcomes reported. |
Other bias | Low risk | Baseline characteristics were comparable: "Patients were comparable in both the groups as regards to age, sex, height and weight". |