Pneumothorax secondary to acupuncture in an adolescent girl

Although acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is gaining popularity and usage in children, the relevant complications are rarely reported. We present a case of 17-year-old girl who underwent acupuncture. The girl visited the emergency department with chest pain and dyspnea on t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yasser AlFraih, Hasan S. Merali
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine 2021-06-01
Series:Pediatric Emergency Medicine Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://pemj.org/upload/pdf/pemj-2020-00213.pdf
Description
Summary:Although acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is gaining popularity and usage in children, the relevant complications are rarely reported. We present a case of 17-year-old girl who underwent acupuncture. The girl visited the emergency department with chest pain and dyspnea on the day after receiving the acupuncture. A chest radiograph showed a left-sided pneumothorax. She was hospitalized for observation and supplemental oxygen, and improvement was noted on follow-up radiograph. She continued to follow up in the outpatient clinic until complete resolution of the pneumothorax. Raising awareness of the potential complications of acupuncture is crucial to aid in patient education and establishment of safety guidelines.
ISSN:2383-4897
2508-5506