• H Wang, Y Xie, Q Zhang, N Xu, H Zhong, H Dong, L Liu, T Jiang, Q Wang, and L Xiong.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032 Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China.
• Br J Anaesth. 2014 Jun 1;112(6):1075-82.

BackgroundAlthough opioids are widely used as analgesics in general anaesthesia, they have unpleasant side-effects and can delay postoperative recovery. Acupuncture and related techniques are effective for acute and chronic pain, and reduces some side-effects. We assessed the effect of transcutaneous electric acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on intra-operative remifentanil consumption and the incidences of anaesthesia-related side-effects.MethodsSixty patients undergoing sinusotomy were randomly assigned to TEAS or control group. TEAS consisted of 30 min of stimulation (6-9 mA, 2/10 Hz) on the Hegu (LI4), Neiguan (PC6), and Zusanli (ST36) before anaesthesia. The patients in the control group had the electrodes applied, but received no stimulation. Bispectral index was used to monitor the depth of anaesthesia. Perioperative haemodynamics were recorded, and peripheral blood samples were collected to measure the levels of mediators of surgical stress. The primary end point was intraoperative remifentanil consumption and the secondary endpoints were recovery quality and anaesthesia-related side-effects.ResultsPatients in the TEAS group required 39% less remifentanil during surgery than controls [0.0907 (SD 0.026) μg kg(-1) min(-1) vs 0.051 (0.018) μg kg(-1) min(-1)]. There were no differences in intra-operative haemodynamics or surgical stress between groups. However, the time to extubation and recall in the control group was 16.8 (6.8) min and 23.0 (5.0) min, respectively, significantly longer than that in the TEAS group (P<0.01). TEAS also decreased the incidence of dizziness and pruritus within the first 24 h after surgery (P<0.01).ConclusionThe use of TEAS significantly reduced intra-operative remifentanil consumption and alleviated postoperative side-effects in patients undergoing sinusotomy.Clinical Trial RegistrationThe trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01700855).© The Author [2014]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Journal of Anaesthesia. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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