Abstract:
Acupuncture is an alternative medical therapy and widely practiced in Northeast Asia. Although it is known as a safe procedure, complications including infection, pneumothorax, hemorrhage, and cardiac tamponade have been reported. The authors present a rare case of fatal acute peritonitis due to penetration of acupuncture needles directly into the abdominal and pelvic cavity. The victim was a 55-year-old woman who had a recent history of chemo-radiotherapy due to breast cancer. She was collapsed three days after receiving acupuncture. She had symptoms of fever and chilling sensation, general myalgia, and vomiting during three days. The autopsy revealed several needle marks in the lower abdomen and 180ml of bloody exudate in the abdominal cavity. There was no visible intestinal perforation, but hemorrhagic foci in the mesentery and paracolic area of sigmoid colon were noted. The deepest portion was 13.5cm from the needle marks on the abdominal skin. The practitioner had not a Chinese medical license. He was accused of illegal medical practice and manslaughter. Acute peritonitis associated with acupuncture might be caused by inadequate sterilization of skin and needle itself and/or direct mesentery injury.
摘要:
针灸是一种替代疗法,在东北亚广泛使用。虽然它被称为安全程序,并发症包括感染,气胸,出血,和心脏填塞的报道。作者介绍了一例罕见的致命急性腹膜炎病例,这是由于针刺针直接刺入腹腔和盆腔。受害人是一名55岁的妇女,她最近因乳腺癌而有化学放疗史。她在接受针灸三天后昏倒了。她有发烧和寒冷感的症状,全身肌痛,三天内呕吐。尸检显示下腹部有几个针痕,腹腔有180毫升血性渗出物。没有可见的肠穿孔,但发现乙状结肠肠系膜和结肠旁区有出血灶。最深部分距离腹部皮肤上的针痕13.5cm。该医生没有中国医生执照。他被指控非法行医和过失杀人。与针灸相关的急性腹膜炎可能是由于皮肤和针头本身灭菌不足和/或直接肠系膜损伤引起的。