POST ACUPUNCTURE EFFECT POSTOPERATIVE ANALGESIA EFFECT

Yang Zhen

(Experimental Research Department of TCM, Shanghai College of TCM)

Li Chuanqi, Zhu Fengxian, Xiang Liming, Kang Yanping, Wu Chuande.

(Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai College of TCM, Shanghai

The analgesic effect of acupuncture does exist during surgical operation under acupuncture anesthesia. For further investigation we synthetically analyzed several physiological indices of some patients undergone gastrectomy under acupuncture anesthesia and some under epidural anesthesia, and discovered that in the acupuncture anesthesia group the effect of acupuncture still exits after operation, and this constitutes the post-acupuncture effect on antagonizing the postoperative incisional pain.

1. The Post-operative Changes in Elect reomyogram of Rectus Muscle in the Acupuncture Anesthesia Group:

EMG of rectus were recorded for 6 times at an interval of half an hour. As time elapses, the average voltage of EMG in acupuncture anesthesia decreases gradually. Take the voltage of EMG of the first record for 100%, the voltage of EMG of the following five records decreases by 6.4%, 25.2%, 52.7%, 62.9% and 55.7% in comparing with the first one. As voltage of EMG is parallel with the degree of pain, the result suggests the existence of postoperative analgesic effect in acupuncture anesthesia group.

2. The Post-operative Changes tn Electromyogram of Rectus Muscle in Epidural Anesthesia Group:

Contrary to the changes of EMG seen in acupuncture anesthesia group, the voltage of EMG in epidural anesthesia group increases gradually in the six conse cutive records. The voltage of the sixth record increases by 60% in comparing to that of the first record. This result indicates that as the action of drug decreases, the analgesic effect diminishes gradually and losts finally.

3. Comparison of the Post-operative Changes in Voltage of EMG of the Two Groups:

In observing the changes in EMG for 3 hrs. after operation under acupuncture anesthesia, the voltage of EMG of the later 1.5 hrs decreases by 40.3% in comparing with that of the first 1.5 hrs in the acupuncture anesthesia group. On the contrary, in the epidural anesthesia group, the voltage of EMG increases by 40.02%. The difference between the two halves : of 3 hrs observation in both groups is very significant (P<0.01). The difference between the two groups is also very significant (P<0.01). It demonstrates that there is a definite post-acupuncture analgesic effect in the acupuncture anesthesia group.

4, Post-operative Changes in Pulse Rate and B.P. in the Two Group:

Since there is an evident incisional pain after operation, the reactions such as changes in B.P. and pulse rate could also be seen other than muscle spasm, Comparing the postoperative changes in B.P. of the two group in 3 hrs, we found BP. in acupuncture anesthesia group is stable. There is no significant difference in comparing to that before operation. In epidural anesthesia group, the postoperative changes in B.P. is very evident. The average value of systolic pressure 2 hrs. after operation is still higher than that before operation. The difference is very significant (P<0.01). In comparing changes in pulse rate of the groups 3 hrs after operation, the changes are also more conspicuous in the anesthesia group than that in the acupuncture group. It demonstrates that the reactions due to post-operative incisional pain in the epidural anesthesia group is greater than that in the acupuncture anesthesia group.

The above results demonstrate that the analgesic effect of acupuncture must have been interposing in the course of the postoperative analgesic effect. That is, acupuncture has promoted the ability of the patients in antagonizing surgical trauma. So further investigation on the action and principle of post-acupuncture effect is of great importance in both clinical application and research for principles of acupuncture anesthesia.