SynthesisJournal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)2012
Adverse events following acupuncture: a systematic review of the Chinese literature for the years 1956-2010.
Synthesis in Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Acupuncture-related adverse events: systematic review and meta-analyses of prospective clinical studies.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Acupuncture for behavioral changes of experimental depressive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Safety of Acupuncture: Overview of Systematic Reviews.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Effect of acustimulation on nausea and vomiting and on hyperemesis in pregnancy: a systematic review of Western and Chinese literature.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Acupuncture and moxibustion for lateral elbow pain: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2014Pooled it
- Acupuncture and assisted reproductive technology.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Appropriate needle insertion depth for trigger point injections of the parascapular region.Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- How to Improve Safety in Acupuncture Clinical Practice?Medical acupuncture · 2025Article
- Advancing Safety in Acupuncture: Strategies, Best Practices, and Training for a Risk-Free Practice.Medical acupuncture · 2025Article
- Comparison of skin-to-bone distance in the interscapular region when measured in the prone position and in the seated position in a therapy massage chair.Journal of physical therapy science · 2025Article
- Intratissue percutaneous electrolysis and deep dry needling compared to a standard physiotherapy protocol in the treatment of whiplash syndrome: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2025Article
- Navigating the Needles: Unveiling the Risks of Acupuncture: A Case Report.Clinical case reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Iatrogenic Pneumothorax during Acupuncture: Case Report.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Adverse effects associated with acupuncture therapies: An evidence mapping from 535 systematic reviews.Chinese medicine · 2023Review
- Effectiveness of acupuncture as adjunctive therapy in type 2 diabetic: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2023Article
- Case series: acupuncture-related pneumothorax.International journal of emergency medicine · 2022Article
- Heart Rate Variability Monitoring during Interferential Current Application in the Lower Back Area: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThe objective of this study was to make non-Chinese readers better informed about the current safety situation of acupuncture in China.
methodsFour (4) major Chinese comprehensive databases were searched: Chinese Journal Full-text Database (1949-2010), China Biomedical Literature Database (1978-2010), Chinese Technology Journal Database (1989-2010), and Wanfang (1998-2010). Case reports of adverse events related to acupuncture therapy were included. Literature reviews, case-control study, translations, duplicate literatures in various databases, and duplicate published articles with duplicate data were excluded.
resultsOne hundred and sixty-seven (167) articles were included with 1038 cases, among which 35 patients died. The most frequent adverse events were syncope (468 cases), pneumothorax (307 cases), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (64 cases).
conclusionsAcupuncture-related adverse events were mainly caused by mental tension of the patient, improper operation by the doctor, and incompleteness of sterilization. Most of them can be avoided by standardizing teaching and clinical practices. Making the corresponding safety standards can greatly lower the risk of adverse events and protect patient safety to the greatest extent.
Indexed as
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.