Bleeding Reduction by Acupuncture in Rhinoplasty: A Triple-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Bloodless surgical field obtained by controlled hypotension reduces the bleeding, the surgical time and improves outcome of rhinoplasty and other facial plastic surgeries. Since acupuncture is used for epistaxis, this study was designed to investigate its effectiveness in reducing the bleeding in open rhinoplasty. Methods: In a triple-blinded randomized clinical trial, 88 patients with ASA I and II physical status, aged between 20 – 48 years, who were candidates of open rhinoplasty were enrolled in the study. After randomization, 44 patients were assigned to each group of acupuncture or control. They were given identical anesthesia. In addition to the hemodynamic monitoring, blood loss was assessed in all patients and compared between the two groups. Results: There were statistically significant differences between two groups in terms of the amount of bleeding (P = 0.001) and surgeon satisfaction (P = 0.010). Coagulation indicators were similar in both groups (All P > 0.05). Mean SBP and DBP, average HR and average MAP in both acupuncture and control groups did not show significant differences (All P > 0.05). Adverse events such as bradycardia or hypotension requiring treatment were not seen. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that acupuncture could reduce bleeding during rhinoplasty without side effects.