(1) Fainting:
This is caused by nervousness, delicate constitution, over-fatigue, improper position or forceful manipulation. During acupuncture treatment, there may display such manifestations as dizziness, vertigo, pallor, palpitation, chest distress, nausea, vomiting and cold limbs. In severe cases, sudden syncope may be caused. When fainting has occurred, the needle should be withdrawn immediately.
The acupuncturist should soothe the patient, help the patient lie down and offer him or her some warm boiled water. The patient's condition will be improved after a short rest. In severe cases, acupoints like Shuigou (GV26), Suliao (GV25) and Neiguan (PC6) can be needled and Baihui (GV20), Guanyuan (CV4) can be moxibusted to resuscitate the patient. If the patient does not respond to the treatment, other emergency measures should be taken.
(2) Stuck Needle:
When stuck needle happens, the acupuncturist may feel tense and unsmooth beneath the needle and difficult to twirl, rotate, lift or thrust the needle; the patient feels unbearably painful. Then the needle should not be twirled and rotated again. The methods used to cope with such accidents vary according to the conditions of the patient. If stuck needle is caused by nervousness and excessive contraction of the local muscles, the acupuncturist should soothe the patient first, appropriately prolong the retention of the needle, or press the local region gently, or insert another needle near the stuck needle. If it is caused by excessive rotation to one direction, then rotation of the needle to the opposite direction with slight lifting and thrusting will solve the problem.
(3) Bent Needle:
When the needle is bent, twirling and rotating manipulation should in no case be applied. The needle may be removed and withdrawn slowly by following the direction of bending. The following methods can be taken to avoid bending the needle. During needling, the patient should not change his or her position; the acupuncturist should manipulate the needle gently, avoiding forceful manipulation. And during the retention period, the needle handle shall in no case be impacted or pressed by external force.
(4) Broken Needle:
When the needle is broken, the acupuncturist should keep calm, ask the patient not to change his or her position to prevent the broken needle from getting deeper into the body. If the broken part protrudes over the skin, it should be removed with forceps. If the broken part is kept at the same level of the skin or a little depressed, the skin around the needle is pressed perpendicularly with the thumb and the index finger of the left hand in order to expose the broken end which is then re-moved with forceps. If it is completely sunken into the skin, surgical treatment should be resorted to. The following methods can be taken to prevent breaking of the needle: The quality of the needle is inspected carefully prior to the treatment; the patient is advised not to change the position; manipulation should be performed gently and slightly, avoiding forceful manipulation lest the needle be broken.
(5) Hematoma:
Hematoma refers to swelling pain caused by subcutaneous hemorrhage around the area needled. If the local region is cyanotic or painful after the withdrawal of the needle, the needled region should be immediately sterilized with dry cotton balls for a while to stop bleeding. If hematoma is mild, it will disappear automatically. If the local swelling and pain is serious and the area with cyanosis is large, cold compress can be used to stop immediate bleeding. After bleeding is stopped, hot compress or pressure is performed slightly and gently to help disperse the hematoma.
(6) Pneumatothorax:
On puncturing the acupoints located on the supraclavicular fossa, chest, back, axilla, and hypochondriac region, deep insertion may lead to pneumothorax due to the injury of the pleura and lung. The manifestations are sudden chest distress, pectoralgia, and short breath. In severe cases, there may exhibit dyspnea, cyanosis of the lips and nails, sweating and drop of blood pressure. Physical examination may find hyperresonance in percussing the chest, attenuation or disappearance of vesicular respiration, or shift of the trachea to the healthy side. X-ray can diagnose the degree of pneumothorax. If it is mild, the patient may rest in half-lying position and take some antitussive and antiseptic. The patient should be treated under careful inspection. In severe cases, emergency measures should be employed at once.