Injecting vitamin B1 at the Zusanli acupuncture point prevented postoperative vomiting as effectively as ondansetron, with the combination appearing most protective.
This randomised, placebo-controlled study blinded both patients and outcome assessors after laparoscopic surgery. Participants received either saline with injections at non-acupuncture sites, ondansetron with sham Zusanli injections, vitamin B1 injections at bilateral Zusanli points, or both ondansetron and Zusanli-point vitamin B1 injections. Treatments were administered in the recovery unit, and outcomes included postoperative vomiting, vomiting severity, need for rescue treatment, patient satisfaction, and time to first passage of gas.
All active treatments reduced postoperative vomiting compared with placebo. Zusanli-point injection alone performed similarly to ondansetron, while combining the two interventions produced the lowest occurrence of vomiting, supporting acupuncture-point injection as a useful preventive approach.
