[Historical Review About 60 Years' Clinical Practice of Acupuncture Anesthesia]

Acupuncture anesthesia (AA) is an anesthetic method created by medical workers and researchers in China during medical practice in 1950s. As a paragon of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, AA clinical practice and basic theoretic research have gained continuous improvement and progress, and obtained a series of outstanding achievements in the past 60 years. Consequently, the theory of traditional Chinese medicine was enriched, and the acupuncture therapy was pushed forward to the world. The present paper reviews the course of formation and development of clinical application of AA from the late years of 1950s up to now, including the initial stage (1958-1966), rapid propulsion stage (1967-1979), consolidation period (1980-2004) and newly developing period (2005-now). The AA has experienced flexural pathway from simple acupuncture analgesia, to acupuncture-drug compound anesthesia (or acupuncture-assisted anesthesia), and to the application of whole perioperative period. Nowadays, it keeps unceasing development and innovation from simple analgesia and sedation to organ protection during perioperative period and reduction of post-operative complications. The AA possesses unique prosperous vitality, and also has a plenty room for improvement, being worthy of further popularization and research.