Effect of Bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang Acupuncture Points on Outcome and Prognosis of Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia in the Elderly

Objectives. The aim of this study was to explore, whether treatment with bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang acupuncture points would affect therapy outcome and prognosis for severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) in the elderly. Methods. A total of 62 patients, who met the diagnostic criteria for SCAP, were enrolled in the study and randomly divided into two groups, i.e., treatment group (n=31) and control group (n=31). All patients received a therapy according to the Chinese Clinical Practice and Expert Consensus of Emergency Severe Pneumonia from 2016. In addition to that, a bloodletting at Shaoshang (LU11) and Shangyang (LI1) acupuncture points was applied for the treatment group. This intervention was repeated for three times (ones daily), bloodletting a volume of 2-3 ml at each time point. Differences in a main index of clinical efficacy, body temperature (T), respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (Hr), white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil percentage (N%), and C-reactive protein level (CRP) as well as different scores (CURB-65 score, SOFA score, and Apache II score) were compared between groups. Moreover, the 28-day mortality was compared between treatment and control group. The statistical methods involved in carrying out the current study include t-test, Wilcoxon test, and chi-square test. Results. The clinical effective rate of the treatment group was 82.9%, which was significantly higher than the 17.1% in the control group (P<0.05). After finishing the intervention, the treatment group showed significantly lower T (37.28 +/- 0.54 vs. 37.82 +/- 0.81), RR (20.06 +/- 2.67 vs. 23.71 +/- 6.85), Hr (81.71 +/- 10.38 vs. 93.84 +/- 15.39), CUBR-65 score (2.16 +/- 0.74 vs. 3.03 +/- 0.98), and SOFA score (5.84 +/- 3.83 vs. 8.16 +/- 4.2) compared to the control group (P<0.05). The 28-day mortality rate of the treatment group was significantly lower than in the control group (12.9% vs. 45.2%, P=0.05). Conclusions. Bloodletting at Shaoshang and Shangyang acupuncture points can support improving the clinical treatment efficacy for SCAP and reduce the 28-day mortality rate in the elderly.