Procedural analgesia with opioids is often needed during incision and drainage (I/D) of pilonidal or large abscesses in the paediatric emergency department. In response to the ongoing opioid misuse pandemic, the Joint Commission has mandated that nonpharmacologic therapies be offered to patients for pain first.
Auricular acupuncture is an auricular acupuncture protocol that is drug free, can achieve rapid pain relief, and is used in the United States military. Auricular acupuncture for painful procedures in the paediatric emergency department has not been reported.
We describe 4 cases where auricular acupuncture was utilized in a pediatric emergency department for pain during I/D of abscesses.
Reference: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34968969/