Comparison of Two Acupuncture Protocols (K1, DU25 or K1, DU26) Efficacy on Recovery Time of Patients After General Anesthesia, a Randomized Control Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture has been used for more than two thousand years as part of traditional Chinese medicine. OBJECTIVES: This randomized prospective clinical trial aimed to compare the effect of acupuncture on K1 (Yongquan) and DU26 (Renghong) with acupuncture on K1 (Yongquan) and DU25 (Suliao), with sham acupuncture on the recovery time of general anesthesia. METHODS: The patients (51) were randomly assigned to three groups: (A) acupuncture on K1 and DU26, (B) acupuncture on K1 and DU25, and (C) sham acupuncture. In each group, at the end of surgery acupuncture was performed accordingly for twenty minutes and the Bispectral Index (BIS) values at end of surgery, 5th minute, 10th minute, 15th minute and 20th minute as well as time of extubation and time of eye opening after the end of surgery were evaluated. RESULTS: BIS study at 5th minute, 10th minute and 15th minute after the end of surgery in the groups revealed a significant difference between sham acupuncture group and both A and B acupuncture groups, which was higher in groups A and B in comparison with sham acupuncture group. Time of opening eyes and time of extubation after the end of surgery between group A and sham acupuncture group differed significantly, which was earlier in group A. There was no significant difference between group B and sham acupuncture group in terms of eye opening and extubation time. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture on K1 and DU26 accelerates restoring of consciousness and shortens of eye opening and extubation after general anesthesia, but on K1 and DU25 only speeds up retrieving of consciousness without significant effect on time of eye opening or extubation after general anesthesia.