Clean Needle Technique for Acupuncture

Clear Needle Approach

An infection Management – Practitioner’s Hygiene

Bodily cleanliness contains not solely enough hand washing nevertheless it additionally contains things like carrying clear garments (i.e. lab coat), lengthy hair being tied again, and nails being stored clear and quick. Cuts/abrasions needs to be coated by and band-aid and/or glove. Don’t work with an higher respiratory situation.

Hand Washing –

A practitioner ought to wash their fingers earlier than and after every affected person contact. Cleaning soap with an antibacterial agent is most popular and strongly really helpful. Clear paper towels needs to be used to dry the fingers. When washing your fingers, friction and working water are crucial to assist take away floor germs from the epidermal layer of the pores and skin.

Germ Idea –

If a sterile object touches a non-sterile floor, the article is not sterile. All needles have to be correctly sterilized for needle insertion. The shafts of the needle, particularly longer needles, might be stabilized with a sterile cotton ball or sterile gauze. If the needle touches any object (i.e. pants, clothes, mattress) or whether it is dropped on the ground, the needle is taken into account contaminated and shouldn’t be used. All used alcohol swabs and needle packaging have to be disposed of from the clear space. Suction cups that are available contact with the pores and skin require both sterilization or disinfection prior to every use.

Packaging –

All needles which might be packaged needs to be checked for sterilization expiration dates. Any bundle that’s moist, torn or expired is not thought-about sterile.

Forms of Sterilization
1. Steam
2. Boiling
3. Dry warmth sterilization
4. Chemical sterilization

Disinfection
3 Forms of Disinfection
1. Halogen – contains chlorine and
2. Phenol – pure phenol is derived from coal tar
3. Alcohol – two varieties of alcohol: Isopropyl and Ethyl

Antisepsis
There are 3 varieties of Antisepsis
1. Iodine
2. Alcohols
3. Hexachlorophenes

Iodine is a well-liked antiseptic, and it’s utilized in concentrations of 70%-90%. Watch out with utilizing iodine, as it may possibly go away everlasting stains on clothes. Isopropyl Alcohol is an efficient antiseptic as properly. At all times maintain lids of alcohol bottles closed to maintain the 100% focus. When swiping the pores and skin, the cotton ball or swab needs to be utilized in a single fluid wipe. Don’t swipe the pores and skin in a forwards and backwards or round movement. Alcohol shouldn’t be utilized to mucous membranes or open wounds.

Needle Disposal

All needles have to be discarded in correct sharps containers based on Public Well being Regulation. Alcohol swabs or cotton balls needs to be discarded into the trash until they’re utterly soaked in blood.

Iatrogenic Issues

1. Forgotten Needle: There have been cases the place a practitioner has forgotten to take a needle out. Practitioners ought to attempt to maintain a needle depend. This may occasionally cut back the danger of forgotten needles. A forgotten needle may trigger attainable hurt/harm.

2. Damaged Needle: Very skinny needles (> 34 gauge) are extra inclined to interrupt throughout insertion. A damaged needle with the shaft seen above the pores and skin could also be safely eliminated in a sterile clamp, but when a needle has damaged and it’s beneath the floor of the pores and skin, it is going to require a medical referral.

3. Locked or Caught Needle: Locked or a caught needle may result from muscle spasms or if the affected person strikes. The end in a caught needle as a result of the muscle tissue across the needle spasms and locks the needle in place. When this happens the needle ought to by no means be forcibly eliminated. You will need to cease the electro-acupunctoscope and permit the affected person to relaxation. Gently therapeutic massage the realm or meridian of the caught needle helps with the discharge of the needle. If the caught needle is a results of the affected person shifting, the affected person ought to assume unique place then the needle might be taken out.

Pneumothorax

It is likely one of the mostly reported problems of Acupuncture within the Medical Literature. A pneumothorax happens when the floor of the lung is punctured, permitting air to depart from the lung into the pleual cavity. The most typical level concerned is GB21 and factors across the neck and shoulder girdle. The most effective prevention is the usage of appropriate needle depth and angle.

Blood Vessel

Puncture of small superficial veins just isn’t unusual. When this happens, one should apply stress on the affected web site for about one minute. The Practitioner ought to all the time inform the affected person of a hematoma. Arterial puncture is extra severe. You will need to apply agency stress for about 3-5 minutes for bleeding of a small artery.

Organ Puncture

All organs are inclined to being punctured if needled incorrectly. The organs which might be extra inclined to being punctured are the bladder, kidneys, enlarged spleen or liver. And the peritoneal cavity. If one is needling decrease belly factors, because the affected person to empty their bladder.

Spinal Wire Trauma

Lack of sensation or motion may result from a needle that penetrates the spinal wire.

Neuritis

Irritation of the nerve may result from needling immediately over nerves or from needling utilizing sturdy electrical stimulation. If the nerve is infected, the affected person may expertise numbness, electrical sensation or motor weak spot.

An infection

Allergic Dermatitis

Indicators and signs embody redness of pores and skin, an itching/burning sensation, and ache or discomfort on the web site of insertion. Acupuncture needles containing nickel and chromium have been recognized to trigger allergic dermatitis.

Miscellaneous Infections

Miscellaneous infections that may happen, embody septicemia, osteomylitis, bacterial endocarditis, meningitis and hepatitis. The one strategies of prevention for these circumstances are the usage of sterile needles and identification of high-risk sufferers.

Different Issues or Facet Results

1. Nausea – nausea could also be skilled by the affected person if sturdy parasympathetic stimulation happens throughout needling. Needles needs to be withdrawn instantly if nausea or vomiting persist.

2. Regular Facet Results – You’ll typically hear feedback resembling “I really feel light-headed” or “gentle disorientation” or “euphoria”. These are all regular uncomfortable side effects of acupuncture. Typically the affected person may additionally really feel chilly with extended needle retention (greater than 20-Half-hour).

Contraindications to Remedy

People who find themselves below the affect of medication or alcohol, these with an empty abdomen, those that are emotionally unstable or those that have simply completed bodily exertion shouldn’t be handled with acupuncture.

Contraindications of Electro-acupuncture

When utilizing the electro-acupunctoscope, the present ought to by no means cross the again or the chest. The 2 branches of the identical electrode ought to all the time be on the identical aspect of the affected person’s physique. Electro-acupuncture is contraindicated throughout being pregnant and in these sufferers with any kind of cardiac pacemaker.

Being pregnant

Conventional Chinese language Drugs recommends in opposition to needling throughout any asymptomatic, regular being pregnant. If there are signs, needling particularly in the direction of the symptom is allowed.

Electrical Stimulation & Acupuncture

Waveform/Frequency/Depth
Specs for mannequin AWQ-104E

• Pulse Form: Biphasic Rectangular Wave
• Pulse width: 350 uS at X1, 40us at X10
• Pulse fee (frequency): 1-120Hz at X(1) 10-1200Hz at X(10)
• Wave type: adjustable, dense-disperse, intermittent
• Output present (depth): 0-18mA (Lo) 0-40mA(Hello)
• Channel: 4
• Level detector

Manipulation

• Just remember to look at the electro-acupunctoscope earlier than every use.
• Insert the needle (with steel deal with) and get Qi sensation
• Be certain that all of the knobs are turned to zero earlier than hooking the electro-acupunctoscope to the needles.
• Join {the electrical} stimulator with needles.
• Flip energy on.
• Alter the electro-acupunctoscope to the suitable waveforms and frequency
• Alter the depth to a cushty stage.
• If depth “Hello-Lo”change, or frequency “1-10″change, or polarity must be modified, the output depth (and frequency someday) needs to be turned right down to zero.
• Remedy ought to final 15-20min
• Be certain that all of the knobs to zero earlier than turning off the facility and take away the conducting wire.

Notes:
• 2 needles full a circuit
• Join destructive finish to major level, constructive finish to secondary level

Waveforms

Dense wave (steady)
Excessive frequency: 50-100 pulses per second
Perform and indications:
Inhibit sensory nerves and motor nerves
Relieve ache, calms the thoughts, relieve spasm of the muscular tissues

Disperse /Sparse wave (steady)
Low frequency: 2-5 pulses per second
Perform: Induce the contraction of muscular tissues, and improve the stress of muscle and ligament.
Indication: harm of muscle, ligament and joints.

Dense-disperse wave
Disperse wave and dense wave seem alternately, every final about 1.5 s. Stop the physique’s adaptation
Perform:
Relieve ache, enhance operate of the organs, enhance qi and blood circulation, enhance nourishment of tissues, cut back irritation
Indication: Ache, trauma, sprain, arthritis, sciatica, facial paralysis, weak spot of muscular tissues, and so forth.

Intermittent wave
A wave seems on and off rhythmically. Interval: 1.5s
Perform: Stimulate the muscular tissues
Indication: Paralysis.

Precautions/Contraindications

• Flip up the depth of the electro-acupunctscope step by step so we will keep away from incidences resembling muscle contraction, damaged needle and bent needle ensuing from elevated depth.
• Primary precedence is to maintain the affected person comfy always.

• Delicate stimulation is required when making use of electro-acupuncture close to the backbone and mind stem.

• When making use of electro-acupuncture on chest and again space within the area of the center, don’t join factors throughout two sides of the physique to keep away from the present passing via the center.

• Don’t apply stimulation within the area of the center.

• Don’t apply stimulation to sufferers with pacemakers or different digital implants.

• Use electro-acupuncture cautiously for sufferers have coronary heart ailments, seizure, and pregnant ladies.

• Electro-acupuncture needs to be used cautiously for sufferers who’re aged or weak.

Illness remedy

Benefits

1. Higher for nerve associated issues
2. Stimulation is extra measurable than guide
3. Many factors might be stimulated on the similar time (guide can stimulate solely one by one)
4. Stimulation can last more. A typical remedy is normally 20 minutes. In case you are stimulating manually, you normally solely stimulate for a few minutes on the most.

• Factors are chosen in pairs
• Normally unilaterally
(Pair on similar aspect left or proper Don’t cross from one aspect to a different as which will intervene with coronary heart motion)