Acupuncture for Pediatric Patients Hospitalized with Status Migrainosus

Background: Severe headaches, including migraines, have been reported in 4.5% of preschool children, with prevalence increasing to 27.4% in older teenagers. Patients with intractable headaches, including status migrainosus, may be admitted to the hospital if outpatient treatments are unsuccessful. Intravenous dihydroergotamine (DHE) is commonly prescribed for the management of pediatric inpatients with status migrainosus. Aim: The primary objective of this study is to determine if acupuncture is as effective as a complementary treatment to intravenous DHE in treating status migrainosus in the pediatric population. The primary outcomes assessed were pain, nausea, and length of stay in the hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review. We performed electronic keyword searches of patient records between January 2005 and January 2022 for patients younger than 18 years and with a chief complaint of intractable headache who received acupuncture treatment at our center. We compared these records against data from an equal number of recent admissions to our hospital who fit the same criteria, but who did not receive acupuncture. Results: Patients who received acupuncture experienced a significantly lower rate of nausea (61.1% (66/108) versus 77.8% (84/108), odds ratio = 0.45, 95% confidence intervals: 0.25–0.81, p = 0.008). There were no significant differences observed in level of pain or length of stay. Conclusion: Acupuncture significantly mitigates the nausea caused by DHE treatment for status migrainosus in pediatric patients and can serve as a complementary therapy.