OBJECTIVETo study whether the dose of controlling antihypertensive drug is reduced by transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) and the anesthetics, as well as the control of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) in endoscopic endonasal surgery with general anesthesia.

METHODSSixty patients for selective endoscopic endonasal surgery with general anesthetics and controlling antihypertension involved were selected and randomized into a TEAS group, a sham-TEAS group, 30 cases in each one. The electric pads were attached to bilateral Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Quchi (LI 11), stimulated with Hans-200 apparatus, 3 to 5 mA, 2 Hz/100 Hz in the TEAS group based on the patients' response to comfort. No electric stimulation was applied to the sham-TEAS group. The general anesthesia started after 30 min intervention and lasted till the end of surgery. The BP and HR were observed and recorded at the end of monitoring in operation room, 10 min after tranquilization (T0), 30 min after intervention (Tj, after induction~of general anestiesa (T2), 30 min after surgery start (T3), 60 min after surgery start (T4) and 30 min after extubation (T5). The doses of vecuronium bromide, propofol and nitroglycerin were recorded statistically in surgery, as well as the operative bleeding volume, the operative time, the resuscitation time and the visual analogue scale (VAS) score after resuscitation.

RESULTSCompared with that at T0, the mean arterial pressure (MAP) at T2, T3, T4 and T5 in the TEAS group and at T3 and T4 in the sham-TEAS group was all reduced, indicating the significant difference (all P < 0.01). MAP at T2 and T5 in the TEAS group was lower than that in the sham-TEAS group (both P < 0.01). Compared, with that at T5, except at T2 in the TEAS group (P<0. 05), HR was not different significantly at the rest time points (all P > 0.05). HR was different at T2 to Ts in the sham-TEAS group statistically (all P < 0.01). The doses of vecuronium bromide, propofol and nitroglycerin, the operative bleeding volume, the operative time, the resuscitation time and VAS after resuscitation were not different significantly between the two groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe general anesthesia with TEAS and anesthetics involved for controlling antihypertension contributes to the control of BP and HR in the patients in endoscopic endonasal surgery. The impacts are not obvious on the doses of antihypertensive drug, the general anesthetics, the operative bleeding volume, the time of resuscitation and the postoperative analgesia.