Effect of auricular point pressing therapy on scores of Confusion Assessment Method for Intensive Care Unit and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale in patients with delirium in ICU

Objective To explore the effects of auricular point pressing therapy on the scores of Confusion Assessment Method for Intensive Care Unit(CAM-ICU)and Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale(RASS)in patients with delirium in ICU. Methods Eighty-six patients with delirium in ICU in authors' hospital were selected and randomly divided into two groups, with 43 cases in each group. The control group was treated with routine treatment, while the observation group was treated with auricular point pressing therapy based on routine treatment. The scores of CAM-ICU, RASS, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)before and after treatment, duration of delirium, length of ICU stay and adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results After 7 days of treatment, the proportion of delirium patients in the observation group was 53.49%(23/43), which was significantly lower than 79.07%(34/43)in the control group(P<0.05). The RASS score and score of each item of PSQI in the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group(P<0.05). The duration of delirium and length of ICU stay in the observation group were significantly shorter than those of the control group(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups(P>0.05). Conclusion Auricular point pressing therapy can effectively improve the consciousness state, agitation symptoms and sleep quality - of patients with delirium in ICU, shorten the duration of delirium, and promote the recovery of patients.