INJECTING DISTILLED WATER INTO POINTS IN THE TREATMENT  OF LOBAR PNEUMONIA

Zhang Shengli' Director: Huang Shengyuan'

This paper is to report the author's 17 years' successful experience in the treatment of 62 cases of lobar pneumonia, confirmed rentgenologically, by injecting distilled water into the appropriate points.

Diagnostic criteria:

1. Symptoms of chills, fever, productive cough with rusty sputum, chest pain and shortness of breath following coryza or U.R.I.; 2. Pulmonary signs of consolidation, tubular breath sounds and rales; 3. leukocytosis; 4. Evidence of lobar pneumonia proved by X-ray examination. The diagnosis was made by the presence of the fourth criterion associated with anyone of the preceding three criteria.

Patients materials:

Group A (treated with acupoint injection) 62 cases with 49 males and 13 females; age:

8-63, among which, 3 cases<12 years and 6 cases>50 years. Cases not selected were those with prostration, severe pneumonia with or without shock, mild cases or with association of other serious diseases. Another 62 matched cases of lobar pneumonia with, comparable age distribution and similar severity were collected as control (Group C), treated with antibiotics e.g. penicillin 600,000-800,000 units i.m. Q 8 H in combination of streptomycin 0.5 gm i.m. Q 12 H.

Method of administration:

For Group A, daily injections of distilled water were administered into the points Fei-shu bilaterally and in addition, into the point Daizhui on the lst-3rd day of admission. The patient was put in sitting position with the head bending forward. The needle gauged No. 4'/2-5, used in intradermal test, was quickly inserted perpendicularly and deeply into the points and then its shaft was moved up and down to locate the exact point where the needling sensation of soreness, numbness and distention was perceived locally and then the distilled water was injected if no blood was drawn on aspiration. The amount of water injected each time to each point was 2 ml spreading evenly along the pathway by injecting uninterruptedly during the withdrawal of needle. The injection to each point was given twice a day and changed to once a day when there was definite improvement and discontinued at the time the symptoms and signs were all subsided. Following each treatment the patient was immediately put in lying flat to avoid fainting.

Evaluation of effect and results:

In Group A, 56 cases cured (90%) and 6 cases improved; In Group C, 52 cases cured (84%) and 10 cases improved. There were statistical significance showing the superiority of Group A to Group C in comparing the subsidence of symptoms and signs, the duration of hospitalization and particularly the costs of medication i.e. 0.14 Yuan of RMB in average for each paitent in Group A and 27,84 Yuan per patient in Group C.

Injection of distilled water in such a way is safe. The author had personal experience in more than 30,000 injections for the treatment of pneumonia and other acute inflammatory diseases with very rare occasion of the untoward reaction of fainting which can be quickly and effectively controlled within 1-3 minutes by pressing the point Shuigou with thumb tip.

The author believes that it is feasible to treat the moderately severe cases of lobar pneumonia by point injection of distilled water. Its mechanism might be the same as that of acupuncture therapy.

1. Zhongxian County Hospital, Sichuan

2. The Hospital of Sichuan Medical College