ArticleBMJ case reports2021
Bilateral pneumothorax after acupuncture treatment.
Article in BMJ case reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reporting characteristics and quality of randomized controlled trial protocols in traditional Chinese medicine: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Acupuncture-related pneumothorax: a 14-case single-center series and a review of the literature.General thoracic and cardiovascular surgery · 2026Article
- A Case of Acupuncture Induced Pneumothorax.Journal of community hospital internal medicine perspectives · 2024Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A 31-year-old female physician was diagnosed with bilateral pneumothorax a day after her acupuncture treatment. Her body mass index was 16.9 and she did not have a prior history of respiratory disease or smoking. Acupuncture needles may easily reach the pleura around the end of the suprascapular angle of the levator scapulae muscle where the subcutaneous tissue is anatomically thin. In our patient, the thickness between the epidermis and the visceral pleura in this area was only 22 mm as confirmed by an ultrasound scan. Although she felt chest discomfort 30 min after the procedure, she assumed the symptom to be a reaction to the acupuncture. In light of our case, we advise practitioners to select appropriate acupuncture needles for patients based on the site of insertion and counsel them regarding the appearance of symptoms such as chest pain and dyspnoea immediately after the procedure.
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