Medulla oblongata hemorrhage after acupuncture: A case report and review of literature

Secondary hemorrhage occurs as a complication of central nervous system (CNS) following acupuncture has been reported in few cases. The present study reports a case of a 70-year-old woman who presents medulla oblongata hemorrhage after acupuncture. The patient suffered severe headache, neck pain, vomiting, and weakness after the neck acupuncture. The purpose of presenting this case report is to raise awareness among clinicians of fateful CNS complications during acupuncture. More importantly, qualified training of acupuncturists is anticipated and standardized processes of clinical acupuncture operations needs to be developed, in order to avoid the occurrence of acupuncture accidents.