Auricular Acupressure for Managing Nausea-Vomiting, Pain and Fatigue After Liver Arterial Chemoembolization and Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy.

Patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization or hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy frequently experience nausea, vomiting, pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and appetite loss during hospitalization, yet standardized nonpharmacologic supportive care protocols remain limited. This study aimed to describe a standardized auricular acupressure protocol integrated into peri-interventional nursing care and to evaluate its feasibility, tolerability, and symptom-related outcomes. In this single-center, prospective, nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study, 102 consecutive eligible patients treated between January 2022 and December 2024 received either auricular acupressure plus routine nursing care (n = 52) or routine nursing care alone (n = 50). After receiving standardized information about both nursing care pathways, patients selected their preferred pathway. No random sequence or allocation concealment was used. Because the auricular patches were visible and the intervention required active nursing instruction, neither the participants nor the intervention nurses were blinded. The protocol included standardized acupoint selection, vaccaria seed application, nurse-guided self-acupressure training, fidelity monitoring, and symptom assessment before intervention, at 24 h and 48 h after treatment, and before discharge. Auricular acupressure was associated with lower nausea scores at 24 h (3.9 ± 1.2 vs. 4.8 ± 1.4, p = 0.002), 48 h (2.8 ± 1.1 vs. 4.1 ± 1.3, p < 0.001), and before discharge (1.9 ± 0.9 vs. 3.2 ± 1.2, p < 0.001). Vomiting occurrence at 48 h was also lower (26.9% vs. 52.0%, p = 0.009). Patients receiving auricular acupressure additionally showed lower pain and fatigue scores, earlier oral intake, less rescue antiemetic use, and higher satisfaction. No severe intervention-related adverse events occurred. These findings support the feasibility of this nursing protocol but should be interpreted as associations, given the nonrandomized allocation of treatment.