Plasma adrenaline increases in anesthetized patients given electro-acupuncture before surgery

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Neuroscience
• Integrative Medicine

Background:

• Electro-acupuncture (EA) may modulate anesthetic effects on motor responses.
• Mechanisms underlying EA's influence on surgical motor responses under sevoflurane anesthesia are not fully understood.
• Investigating hormonal and catecholamine changes can elucidate EA's physiological impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if electro-acupuncture (EA) under sevoflurane anesthesia increases plasma catecholamines, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), or cortisol.
• To correlate changes in these biomarkers with observed clinical motor responses during surgery.
• To explore the physiological mechanisms of EA's effect on surgical stress response.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 45 female patients undergoing laparoscopic sterilization.
• Patients received either 2 Hz-burst EA or sham control under sevoflurane anesthesia.
• Plasma samples were collected pre-induction, post-procedure, and during surgery for biomarker analysis.

Main Results:

• Patients receiving EA showed plasma adrenaline levels returning towards preanesthetic values during surgery, unlike controls.
• This increase in adrenaline correlated with enhanced motor responses to surgical stimuli in the EA group.
• Plasma levels of noradrenaline, ACTH, and cortisol did not differ significantly between groups.

Conclusions:

• The facilitation of motor responses by EA under sevoflurane anesthesia is linked to elevated plasma adrenaline.
• Increased adrenaline suggests sympathetic nervous system activation as a potential mechanism.
• EA may modulate the surgical stress response through sympathetic pathways.