Sudden death caused by coronary heart disease threatens human lives greatly

since the prevention and cure of it is very significant. This paper presents several clinical and experimental observations in the treatment of coronary heart disease and preventing sudden death from it with acupunc- ture. The results are as follows. 1. Twenty five cases of coronary heart disease were hospitalized and treated by acupuncture with a effective rate 88%. 2. The cardiac function in thirty two cases of the same disease was fairly moderated by acupuncturing the points "Neiguan" and "Xinshu". 3. The ventricular extrasystoles induced by barium chloride in rabbits were inhibited by electroacupuncture on "Neiguan". The effective rate was 83.3% 4. VFT was increased by the stimulation of electroacupuncture at "Ne- iguan" in rabbits

hence it had certain effect of antiventricular fibrillation. The above results suggest that acupuncture treatment for coronary he- art disease is certainly effective. It may improve cardiac function

corre- ct arrhythmia and increase VFT to preventventricular fibrillation. Rea- lly it plays an active part in preventing and curing some risky factors in sudden death. As electro-acupuncture may prevent or reduce the attack of ventricular fibrillation

it is possible to use this technique to pre- vent the patients from sudden death clinically

but the mechanism and the effe-cts of prevention and cure of it need further investigations.