Acupuncture anesthesia is created by Chinese medical workers first in 1950s'. Up to now

about more than 1000

000 cases of operation including above 100 types of operation have been conducted under acupuncture anesthesia in China. In order to solve the problems of incomplete analgesia

muscular tension and reactions of visceral pulling

from the late stage of 1970s'

Chinese medical workers have been adopting acupuncture anesthesia combined with anesthetics to enhance analgesic effect for operation and achieved considerable achievements. 1. Research on acupuncture combined with epidural anesthesia before 1990. In 1979

National Acupuncture Anesthesia Subtotal Gastrectomy Corporation Group made a study program on acupuncture plus anesthetics compound anesthesia methods

etc. In 1981

the clinical effect of acupuncture plus anesthetics compound anesthesia was confirmed by the National Acupuncture Anesthesia Operation Academic Symposium. From that time on

acupuncture plus anesthetics compound anesthesia method begins. 2. Research on acupuncture combined with epidural anesthesia from 1991 to 1995. During "the 8th 5 years"

clinical research on acupuncture combined with epidural anesthesia for renal transplatation

subtotal gastrectomy

abdominouterectomy

cholecystectomy

etc began. In addition

study on the conventional operating procedures for subtotal gastrectomy under acupuncture anesthesia combined with epidural administration of small dose of anesthetics was brought into the "State 8th 5 years' Key Research Projects of Science and Technology". Results of acupuncture plus anesthetics compound anesthesia indicate that ①the analgesic effect is enhanced significantly and the operation conducted under painless state basically; ② the dose of anesthetics needed is decreased significantly; ③ physiological disorders induced during operation are fewer

and the time for urination after renal transplantation is advanced; but ④ the anesthetic methods should be simplified

the applied anesthetics types and their dosages are needed to be studied. 3. Research on acupuncture combined with epidural anesthesia from 1996 to 2000. Approved by Chinese State Ministry of Science and Technology and State Administration of TCM

"clinical and mechanism study on optimized acupuncture anesthetics compound anesthesia and analgesia" and "clinical research on acupuncture anesthesia combined with epidural administration of small dose of anesthetics" were brought into "the 9th 5 years' Key Research Projects of Science and Technology". Results display that ① generally

4～6 acupoints are used every time and acupoint cutaneous electrical stimulation method is also applied; ② more physiological indexes and strict random control group are adopted; ③ the anesthetic effect of acupuncture combined with epidural anesthesia reaches that of routine epidural anesthesia (including the anesthetic blocked level); during operation

the patients keep quiet

have no pain or only slight pain reaction

muscular relaxation is satisfied and the visceral pulling reaction is light; ④ the dose of epidural anesthetics needed is decreased by above 30%; ⑤ during operation

the patient's life signs keep stable

and the operation is conducted smoothly and wins doctors' and patients' approval; ⑥ in line with the good anesthetic effect of acupuncture anesthetics compound anesthesia

plasma NE content is declined and the immunofunction is enhanced; and ⑦ the anesthetic methods should be simplified further and more convinced theories and clinical practice are needed.