ArticleMedical acupuncture2013
Safety of Noninvasive Electrical Stimulation of Acupuncture Points During a Routine Neonatal Heel Stick.
Article in Medical acupuncture, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 2 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Acupuncture for procedural pain in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Acupuncture for neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborn infants.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Does noninvasive electrical stimulation of acupuncture points reduce heelstick pain in neonates?Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2016Trial
- Acupuncture for the treatment of infantile colic.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Culturally Based Practice in Neonatal Procedural Pain Management: A Mini Review.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2020Review
- A Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatments for Pain Management in Newborn Infants.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Review
- Use of Acupuncture in an Infant with Restlessness and Agitation.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2018Article
- Auricular Medicine in Neonatal Care.Medical acupuncture · 2018Article
- Acupuncture in the neonatal intensive care unit-using ancient medicine to help today's babies: a review.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2017Review
- Changes of locoregional skin temperature in neonates undergoing laser needle acupuncture at the acupuncture point large intestine 4.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2015Article
- Acupuncture for Pediatric Pain.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHospitalized infants may undergo frequent painful procedures with inadequate pain relief. Alternative pain relief interventions are needed.
objectiveThe aim of this research was to determine the safety of noninvasive electrical stimulation of acupuncture points (NESAP) in neonates who were receiving routine heel sticks.
designThis was a descriptive study performed to assess the safety of using a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit to deliver NESAP to neonates. SETTING/SUBJECTS: The subjects were healthy newborn infants<3 days old before hospital discharge.
interventionThe intervention was NESAP delivered via a TENS unit, administered before, during, and after heel stick. The electrodes of the TENS unit were applied at four acupuncture points. Settings were gradually increased: 6 infants received 1.0 mA, 2 Hz; the second 6 infants received 2.0 mA, 10 Hz; and the last 18 infants received 3.5 mA, 10 Hz.
main outcome measuresTHREE MAIN MEASURES WERE USED: (1) skin assessment (2) vital signs; (3) pain scores using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP).
resultsThere were no significant changes in vital signs during and after NESAP. There were no changes in PIPP scores in the first 12 infants after initiation of NESAP. A slight but nonsignificant increase in PIPP scores (from 2.65 to 3.5 on a scale of 0-18) occurred in the last 18 infants. There were no adverse events during or after NESAP.
conclusionsNESAP is safe for infants with low settings on a TENS unit.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.