Due to multiple factors as supernutrition of pregnant women, etc., the hysterotokotomy rate is increasing day by day. In most cases, local anesthesia is adopted, the parturient often complain of pain loudly and even groan incessantly. For relieving parturient's pain and ensuring the smooth conduction of hysterotokotomy, the author applied acupuncture combined with local anesthetics in 100 cases of hysterotokotomy from March of 1998 to March of 1999 and achieved a good therapeutic effect. Here is the summary.

Clinical Data

A total of 100 cases of hysterotokotomy women were randomly divided into experimental group (n=50 cases, acupuncture of Hegu-LI 4 plus local anesthesia) and control group (n=50 cases, only local anesthesia). In the experimental group, their ages were from 24 to 28 years; hysterotokotomy was performed due to cord around neck and abnormal beating of the fetal heart in 25 cases; due to overweight baby in 10 cases and due to uterine contraction weakness in 15 cases. In the control group, their ages were from 23 to 27 years, hysterotokotomy was performed due to abnormal beating of the fetal heart in 20 cases; due to over prolonged lab or and weakness of the uterine contraction in 18 cases and due to prolonged pregnancy and ineffectiveness of administration of drugs in 12 cases.

Methoda and Effectiveness         

1. The pregnant woman were asked to take a comfortable lying position, after finishing venous puncture, a routine sterilization of the local area was performed. According to the routine methods, the pregnant woman's right arm was fixed to the operating bed, the left arm (the wrist part and the elbow part) fixed to a board wrapped with a cotton pad. The fixation should not be too tight. Following routine sterilization, the acupuncturist took filiform needle 1-1.5 cun long, to insert rapidly into Hegu (LI 4), manipulated the needle by lifting, thrusting and twirling repeatedly till the pregnant woman underwent sensations of soreness, numbness, heaviness and distension, retained the needle for a few minutes, then manipulated it again and again about every 10 min. It was highly advisable that if the needling sensations spread to the upper arm. When the fetus was taken out, the uterus and the peritoneum were sewed up, Hegu (LI 4) was stimulated with strong manipulation. T he needle was removed when the skin was sewed up.

2. Results

Of the 50 cases in experimental group, 48 received acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) and routine anesthesia without repeated administration of local anesthetics or analgesics; the pregnant woman did not complained of severe pain and was in a quiet sleeping state. The other 2 cases shouted pain repeatedly in spite of strong stimulation of Hegu (LI 4) and received local anesthetics and sedative a few times. The effective rate was 96%. In the control group, of the 50 cases, 46 groan ed continuously due to unbearable pain and received administration of local anesthetics repeatedly. After the fetus was taken out from the uterus, the pregnant women were given with intravenous drip of Dolantin 100 mg. Four cases of them we r e treated with larger dosage of local anesthetics without use of sedatives. 100% of the pregnant women in the control group complained of severe pain.

Discussion 

Abundant studies demonstrated that acupuncture could work well in relieving pain. In this study, local anesthetics combined with acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) achieved a good analgesic effect on cesarean section. Hegu (LI 4) is the source-point of the Large Intestine of Hand-Yangming and one of the important acupoints for treating general diseases. It is convenient to be used and the patient likes t o cooperate with doctors.

During operation, the pregnant woman is conscious and is thus more nervous. According to the theory of “To relieve pain by inducing pain on the other part of the body", strong stimulation of Hegu (LI 4) by lifting, thrusting and twirling the needle repeatedly can not only relieve the pain but also divert patients from nervousness and get rid of operation-induced spasmodic pain of the related organs.

Acupuncture analgesia lessens the dosage of anesthetics, shortens the duration of operation, lightens lesion of tissues of the pregnant women, and ensures the smooth conduction of operation, favoring baby's earlier contact with mother, earlier sucking and facilitating the health of both of the mother and new-born baby.

By Shi Suyun, Chen Yong, Chen Wenling, etc,.