Plasma adrenaline increases in anesthetized patients given electro-acupuncture before surgery.
OBJECTIVE
In anesthetized patients, electro-acupuncture (EA) has been found to reduce sevoflurane-induced suppression of cranial and spinal motor responses to surgery without influencing the level of anesthesia. The underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, blood samples were analyzed to evaluate if the increased clinical motor responses to surgery in patients subjected to EA under sevoflurane anesthesia are also reflected in higher plasma levels of catecholamines, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), or cortisol.


METHODS
Blood samples were obtained before anesthetic induction, soon after the study or control procedures had been completed under general anesthesia, and after 30 minutes of surgery under steady-state anesthesia with 1.8% of sevoflurane, in 45 healthy female patients, scheduled for sterilization by laparoscopy, randomized for bilateral 2 Hz-burst EA (study group; n = 22) or control (control group; n = 23) procedures.


RESULTS
Plasma levels of adrenaline were found to approach the higher preanesthetic level after 30 minutes of surgery in patients given EA stimulation but to remain low in control patients (P < 0.05)-in agreement with the stronger clinical motor responses to skin incision in the EA group. Plasma levels of noradrenaline, ACTH, and cortisol did not change in or differ between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The clinical facilitation of both cranial and spinal motor responses to surgery in patients given acupuncture under sevoflurane anesthesia is associated with increased plasma levels of adrenaline, possibly reflecting sympathetic activation.
Kvorning
Nina
N
Department of Anesthesiology, Roskilde Hospital, Roskilde, Denmark. nina.kvorning@swipnet.se
Akeson
Jonas
J
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D000077149:Sevoflurane
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine