A Retrospective Examination of Acupuncture and Acupressure for Patients with Severe Preeclampsia

Background: Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal mortality, puerperal ICU admission, and iatrogenic preterm delivery. Some small studies suggest that acupuncture and acupressure may improve blood pressure, but few studies have examined the impact of these treatments on outcomes in patients with preterm preeclampsia with severe features. Objective: This retrospective chart review study assessed if acupuncture/acupressure (AQ/AP) in conjunction with routine care is associated with longer time from admission to delivery or gestational age at delivery in hospitalized patients with preterm preeclampsia compared to routine care alone. Secondary outcomes included breakthrough antihypertensive use, mean arterial pressure (MAP), postpartum length of stay, ICU admission, measures of hepatic and renal function, platelet counts, birthweights, and 5-min Apgar scores. Study Design: This was a retrospective matched cohort study (2010-2020) of patients with preterm preeclampsia with severe features admitted for expectant management. Patients receiving AQ/AP were matched with controls who received only routine care. Results: The final sample of 100 matched pairs found the mean latency period from admission to delivery was 2.5 days longer in the AQ/AP group (95% CI: 0.81-4.26, p = 0.004). Breakthrough antihypertensive medication use, changes in MAP, and other biomarkers did not differ significantly. Conclusion: Among patients hospitalized for preeclampsia with severe features, those who received acupuncture and/or acupressure treatment had a longer time to delivery than matched controls, but AQ/AP treatment was not significantly associated with MAP or use of breakthrough antihypertensive medication.