Madras, March 12: The first successful brain surgery was performed on a patient under ‘acupuncture anesthesia’ at Government Stanley Hospital here yesterday.
According to Dr. P. Narendran, a professor of neurosurgery at the hospital who performed the surgery, it was the first time in India that brain surgery was performed under acupuncture anesthesia rather than general anesthesia.
The patient, a 30-year-old laborer, was referred to Stanley Hospital from Calicut Medical College Hospital three weeks ago. He complained of vomiting, severe headache, and decreased vision due to intracranial pressure.
Explaining “acupuncture anesthesia,” Dr. Narendran said hair-like needles are inserted under the skin at various “meridian points” of the body, rather than into muscles. The needle can be operated manually or by low voltage current. In this case, electroacupuncture was used by inserting 26 needles at various “meridian points” on the toes, feet, and scalp. The patient developed “analgesia” (analgesia).sensation of pain) on the scalp where the surgery was performed.
Dr. Narendran said the patient was conscious and talking to doctors throughout the surgery. Acupuncture continued throughout the 90-minute surgery. There were no noticeable changes in the patient’s pulse and breathing during the surgery. However, in the early stages, my blood pressure increased slightly for a few minutes, but then it became normal. After the surgery, I felt almost no pain and walked to the hospital room. It can also be done on animals such as racehorses to improve efficiency.
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