Press-needle Therapy, A Traditional Chinese Medical Therapy for Relieving Pain in Patients Under Mechanical Ventilation

Mechanical ventilation requires intubation and catheterization, which can cause significant damage to the human body, easily exacerbate the patient's pain, and lead to patient-ventilator asynchrony. Therefore, it is necessary to explore a safe, reliable, and more efficient analgesic and sedative measure to reduce the patient's pain stimulation and ensure the orderly implementation of various treatment procedures. In the past, drugs were commonly used for analgesia and sedation in clinical practice. Although the effect was acceptable, long-term and large-scale use might lead to numerous complications or adverse reactions, thus reducing the quality of prognosis. Press-needle therapy, also known as intradermal needle therapy, is a type of acupuncture therapy. It mainly involves embedding needles at acupoints to promote blood circulation and achieve the goal of pain relief. This paper will elaborate on how to use press-needles in a standardized manner to relieve pain in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation.