Accidents in Acupuncture: a Review of the Literature.

Acupuncture is an important application within the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine. Not only effective, it may be one of the most simple, convenient and inexpensive treatment modalities in the field of medicine. However, if acupuncture is improperly practiced by an unskilled doctor, or a doctor unfamiliar with the anatomy of the acupuncture points, false needling angle and depth may result in accidental injury to the patient. The most common type of acupuncture-related accident occurs when a patient faints due to nervous reaction to the treatment or faints from the movement of qi and blood when getting up from the table after treatment. More seriously and very rarely, pneumothorax, infection or organ puncture may create an emergency condition or even death. We can be assured that most accidents can be avoided by standardized education and clinical practices. Only with substantial knowledge can acupuncture be safely applied in clinical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]