Alternative Health Blog

In a randomized, patient-anesthesiologist blinded study involving 120 patients scheduled for total hip arthroplasty (THA), treatment with auricular (ear) acupuncture, with fixed indwelling needles placed in the evening before the surgery and withdrawn on the day after surgery, was found to be associated with a 15% reduced need for fentanyl, as compared to controls (4.6 microg/kg vs. 5.2 microg/kg). Patients received general anesthesia with desflurane, which end-tidal concentration was kept within 3.5 volume % to 5.5 volume % to maintain the Bispectral Index within 40% to 55%, and the anesthesiologists were asked to titrate fentanyl to keep the heart rate and blood pressure within 20% of baseline values. The authors conclude, "...AA should be further investigated for its clinical usefulness for complementary analgesia during the surgery."