Effects of TEAS on Stress Response During Extubation of General Anesthesia in Elderly Patients

Thirty minutes prior to the induction of anaesthesia, the patients in the TEAS group started to receive TEAS by a stimulator (Hwato Electronic Acupuncture Treatment Instrument, model No.: SDZ-II, Suzhou Medical Appliances Co., Ltd., Suzhou, China) to the right hand, forearm and neck by an experienced acupuncturist at the Hegu (LI4), Neiguan (PC6), Lieque (LU7), Chize (LU5), Futu (LI18) and Renying (ST9) acupoints. TEAS was peformed with an alternate dense-disperse frequency of 2 and10 Hz ( 2 Hz for 10 s and 10 Hz for 5 s). The optimal intensity ranged from 6-15 mA, The stimulus continued until 5 min before the end of surgery.

The patients in the Sham group were also connected to the apparatus, but electronic stimulation was not applied.