Acupuncture-assisted anesthesia in surgical procedures: A comprehensive review of operational methods, technical details, ear and body acupoints application

Abstract

Due to its benefits of minimum physiological interference, few complications, and promotion of postoperative recovery, acupuncture-assisted anesthesia (AA), an inventive fusion of modern anesthesiology and traditional Chinese medicine, has been used more and more in clinical surgical practice.This review systematically summarizes the specific operational techniques and technical details of AA across various surgical procedures.Mechanistically, AA produces analgesia, sedation, and organ protection through modulation of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.In terms of operational specifications, auricular points are primarily stimulated via acupressure or needling at Shenmen (TF4) and surgical site-specific reflex zones, while body acupoints including Hegu (LI4), Zusanli (ST36), and Neiguan (PC6) are selected according to local, distant, and empirical principles, combined with standardized electroacupuncture parameters (frequency, intensity, and waveform).Clinical evidence demonstrates that auricular acupuncture reduces intraoperative fentanyl requirement by 15% compared with sham acupuncture.These clinical benefits depend on the standardized implementation of the following practices: Preoperative formulation of individualized acupoint combinations based on surgical type and patient constitution, intraoperative application of 2/100 Hz dense-disperse electroacupuncture at appropriate intensity, and postoperative continuation of auricular acupressure to consolidate analgesic effects and promote gastrointestinal recovery.In order to give clinicians a standardized, useful reference to enhance the safety and efficacy of AA application and encourage the thorough integration of traditional Chinese medicine and contemporary surgical anesthesia, the present difficulties and future development directions of AA in surgical practice are finally outlined.