Table 1 Baseline characteristics of the studies
1st author, year | Design, number of arms | Population (n), gestational age | Outcomes | Participants (n), intervention | dose, frequency, treatment duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Country | Treatment group | Placebo control group | ||||
Acupressure finger | ||||||
Dundee 1988 Ireland [36] | qRCT, 3 | 350, 6–14 w | NVP | 119, PC6 | 112, sham, dummy point near right elbow | 5 min every 4 h, 4 days |
119, control: no treatment | ||||||
Belluomini 1994 California, US [37] | RCT, 2 | 60, ≤ 12 w | NVP | 30, PC6 | 30, sham, placebo point | 10 min, 4×/d, for 7 days |
Shin 2007 South Korea [2] | qRCT, 3 | 66, 5–30 w | HG | 23, PC6 + IV fluid therapy | 21, sham control, a bony part around the radial pulse + IV fluid therapy | 10 min, 3×/d before meal from day 2 - day of discharge (mean 5–7 days) |
22, control, only conventional IV fluid therapy | ||||||
Rad 2012 Iran [22] | RCT, 2 | 80, first trimester | NVP | 40, pressure thumb of researcher on the two symmetrical KID21 points + Vit B 6 40 mg | 40, pressure thumb of researcher on a false point + Vit B 6 40 mg | 20 min/d for 4 days + Vit B 6 40 mg |
Jiang 2012 China [3] | RCT, 2 | 130, 5–10, 7 w | HG | 65, PC6 + IV fluid therapy + ear acupressure stomach, spleen, duodenum, liver, shen men, heart | 65, IV fluid therapy | 10 min, 3×/d before meal of nausea for 7 days |
Control: 3–7 days | ||||||
Acupressure band | ||||||
O’Brien 1996 Canada [9] | RCT, 3 | 161, 4.6–23.6 w | NVP | 54, PC6 | 53, sham: acupressure band inappropriately placed 54, control: no treatment | Band applied for 5 days, removed morning of day 6 |
Norheim 2001a Norway [38] | RCT, 2 | 97, 8–12 w | NVP | 48, PC6 | 49, placebo, wristband with felt patch, no button PC6 | 24 h/d, 4 day run-in, 4 day intervention, 4 day follow-up, 12d |
Steele 2001 Michigan, US [39] | qRCT, 2 | 110, ≤ 13 w | NVP | 68, PC6 | 42, placebo, PC6 without acupressure buttons | Continuously on both wrists for 4 days, remove only when bathing |
Werntoft 2001 Sweden [5] | RCT, 3 | 60, mean 10 w | NVP | 20, PC6 | 20, sham: button on upper side of wrist | On for 24 h, only not when showering, for 14 days |
20, control: no treatment | ||||||
Heazell 2006 Australia [27] | RCT, 2 | 80, 5–14 w | HG | 40, PC6 | 40, sham: a site on the dorsal aspect of the forearm | 8 h a day, from 9 AM to 5 PM, length of inpatient stay (mean 3.4) |
Jamigorn 2007 Thailand [40] | RCT, 2 | 66, 6–12 w | NVP | 33, PC6 + placebo tablets | 33, sham: wristband on dummy-point + 50 mg tablets of Vit B6 | Bands: continuously for 5 days |
Tablets: every 12 h for 5 days | ||||||
Can Gurkan 2008 Turkey [20] | QRCT, 3 | 75, 5–20 w | NVP | 26, PC6 | 24, sham: upper side wrist | Daytime, taken off at night; no bands day 1–3, bands on day 4–6, no bands day 7–9, for 9 days |
25, control: no treatment | ||||||
Saberi 2013 Iran [6] | RCT, 3 | 143, ≤ 16 w | NVP | 48, PC6 | 50, ginger caps | Nothing on day 1–3, treatment on day 4–7 |
45, control: no treatment | PC6: continuously bilateral | |||||
Ginger caps: 3×/day | ||||||
Acupuncture | ||||||
Knight 2001 UK [35] | RCT, 2 | 55, 6–10 w | NVP | 28, needling PC6, St 36, Ren 12, SP4, St 44 | 27, cocktail sticks on bony regions near acupoint | Needles left during 15 min, 2× in first week, then 1×/ week for 2 weeks |
Smith 2002 Australia [10] | RCT, 4 | 593, ≤ 14 w | NVP | 148, maximum 6 various points based on TCM diagnosis | 148, PC6 | Needles left during 20 min, 2× in first week, then weekly, for 4 weeks. |
148, sham: close to acupoints | ||||||
149, control: no treatment | ||||||
Neri 2005 Italy [8] | RCT, 2 | 81, ≤ 12 w | HG | 43, needling PC6, CV12, ST 36, + acupressure PC6 | 38, metoclopramide infusion + Vit B12 complex(30 mg/day) | Acupuncture: 20 min, 2×/ week + acupressure for 6–8 h/day, for 2 weeks. |
Metoclopramide: infusion 2×/week + vit. B12, for 2 weeks. | ||||||
Zhang 2005 China [26] | RCT, 3 | 150, 6–12 w | HG | 50, needling + moxibustion CV12, PC6, ST36, SP9 | 50, Chinese drug group: | Acup: 10–15 min, 2×/d, for 7 days |
Suye Huanglian decoction | Chinese drug: 2×/d, 7d | |||||
50, Western medicine: IV fluid therapy + phenobarbital | Western drug: daily, 7d | |||||
Liu 2007 China [29] | RCT, 2 | 94, early pregnancy | HG | 47, needling: scalp, stomach area, CV12, PC6, ST36 + IV fluid therapy | 47, control: IV fluid therapy | 1×/d for 10 days |
Wang 2008 China [34] | RCT, 2 | 95, early pregnancy | HG | 53, CV17, CV12, SP6, PC6, ST36 | 42, control: IV fluid therapy | Acupuncture: 30 min, 1×/d, 6d |
Control: 1×/d, 6d | ||||||
Mao 2009 China [33] | RCT, 3 | 90, 6–12 w | HG | 30, IV fluid therapy + needling BL11, ST37, PC6, SP4, CV12, ST36 | 30, Western medicine: IV fluid therapy + luminal 30 mg | Each group IV fluid therapy Acup: 25 min, 2×/d for 7 days |
30, Chinese drug group: IV fluid therapy + Chinese herbal decoction | Western medicine: 3×/d for 7 days | |||||
Chinese drug group: 3×/d for 7 days | ||||||
Liu 2011 China [41] | RCT, 2 | 60, early pregnancy | HG | 30, needling CV12, PC6, ST36 | 30, moxibustion ST36, CV12, PC6, SP4 | 15–20 min, 1×/d for 10 days |
Ma 2013 China [30] | RCT, 2 | 60, early pregnancy | HG | 30, CV12, BL21 + IV fluid therapy | 30, IV fluid therapy | Acupuncture: 20 min, 1×/d for 5 days |
IV fluid therapy: 1×/d, for 5 days | ||||||
Auricular acupressure | ||||||
Ou 2001 China [42] | RCT, 3 | 90, early pregnancy | NVP | Group 1: 30, ear acupressure: diaphragm (bilateral), shen men, kidney + Chinese herbal medicine | 30, group 2: ear acupressure: diaphragm (bilateral), shen men, kidney | Group 1: acupressure: 10 min, 3×/d + herbs 3×/d, for 7 days |
30, group 3: Chinese herbal medicine | Group 2: acupressure: 10 min, 3×/d, for 7 days | |||||
Group 3: herbs: 3×/d for 7 days | ||||||
Puangsricharern 2008 Thailand [7] | RCT, 2 | 91, ≤ 14 w | NVP | 45, magnet pellets, placed at both auricles | 46, no treatment, 6d | 30 s, 4×/day before meals and at bedtime, day 3-day 6 |
Li 2010 China [31] | RCT, 3 | 141, 5–30 w | HG | 47, ear acupoints: stomach, spleen, duodenum, liver, shen men, heart,+ needling CV 12, PC6, ST36 | 47, PC6 acupressure | Ear acupressure: 3×/d before meals or in case of nausea |
47, IV fluid therapy | Acupuncture: 30 min, 1×/d for 10 days | |||||
PC6 acupressure: 10 min, 3×/d before meals or nausea, for 10 days | ||||||
Liu 2012 China [32] | RCT, 2 | 54, mean 8 w | HG | 27, pylorus, stomach, spleen, esophagus, duodenum, liver, heart, subcortex, shen men, jiao gan. | 27, fasting for 2–3 d, rest, | Bilateral, 2 min, 15 min before meal, 3×/d for 7 days |
IV fluid therapy | ||||||
Moxa | ||||||
Fan 1995 China [11] | RCT, 2 | 302, >2 m | NVP | 151, moxa SP6, CV4 ST36, Li3 | 151, chinese herbal decoction | 5–10 min, 1×/d for 7 days |
Herbs:1×/d for 7 days | ||||||
Xu 2009 China [12] | RCT, 2 | 51, early pregnancy | HG | 26, IV fluid therapy + moxa ST36, CV12, PC6, SP4 | 25, IV fluid therapy | Moxa: 15–20 min, 1–2×/d |
IV fluid 1×/d, for 10 days | ||||||
Lu 2012 China [13] | RCT, 2 | 64, 38–80 d | HG | 32, IV fluid therapy + citicoline 500 mg + moxa ST36, CV12, PC6 | 32, IV fluid therapy + citicoline 500 mg | IV fluid: 1×/d |
Moxa: 20 min, 2×/d for 5 days | ||||||