Electroacupuncture-Assisted Craniotomy on an Awake Patient

We present a case of a 65-year-old man whom presented with right-sided body weakness. He had a past medical history of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and obstructive sleep apnea requiring his using a nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device during sleep. We performed a computed tomography (CT) brain scan; it revealed a left-sided acute on chronic subdural hemorrhage. Due to his multiple co-morbidities, we decided to perform the surgical procedure under electroacupuncture anesthesia. The aim of this case report is to describe a craniotomy performed under electroacupuncture on an elderly patient with multiple co-morbidities who was wake during the procedure and in whom this procedure, if it had been performed under general anesthesia, would have carried high risk.
Source: Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research