Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 590: Chapter 590: Electric Needle

Li Xu was unaware of the doubts and whispers outside the operating room.

Even if he knew, he wouldn’t have cared.

The die was cast; there was no turning back.

He walked to the patient’s side, acupuncture needle in hand, his movements as smooth and fluid as running water.

First needle, the He Gu point!

Second needle, the Taichong point!

These were the "Four Gates," which, when opened, could calm the spirit, soothe the mind, and pacify the liver-wind.

Immediately after, he inserted needles into the Chengshan and Zusanli points on the patient’s lower legs.

As the needles entered the flesh, Li Xu’s wrist began to vibrate rapidly, performing an extremely professional series of twirling and lifting-and-thrusting manipulations.

The frequency and force of his movements possessed a unique rhythm.

The reason he chose these seemingly conventional points—He Gu, Chengshan, and Zusanli—was to achieve the "arrival of qi."

Acupuncture anesthesia possessed unique physiological advantages that Western anesthesia could not replicate.

First was its ability to regulate adrenocortical function. The stimulation from the needles could gently activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. This would put the patient in a state of moderate stress—neither overly tense nor sluggishly numb.

This was crucial for the Parkinson’s lesioning surgery.

The core of the operation was to precisely locate the tiny, diseased VL nucleus (ventrolateral nucleus of the thalamus) within the vast expanse of the brain.

How could they pinpoint its exact location?

Besides relying on modern imaging technology, it required real-time feedback from the patient in response to faint electrical stimuli during the procedure.

This demanded that the patient’s nervous system remain in a highly alert state. Only then could the surgeon confirm if the target was accurate based on the patient’s subtle reactions, such as the cessation of tremors or changes in muscle tone.

Second, the He Gu point, as the Yuan-Source point of the Large Intestine meridian of the hand-Yangming, was incredibly versatile. Ancient sayings proclaimed, "For the face and mouth, He Gu is the key," and an acupuncture verse stated, "For the head and face, seek He Gu."

It possessed an exceptionally powerful ability to regulate the flow of qi and blood in the head and face.

The analgesic effect of the He Gu point was widely recognized as potent, especially for painful conditions.

Stimulating He Gu could effectively raise the patient’s pain threshold while also promoting cerebral blood circulation, providing a unique "neuroprotective" mechanism for the upcoming craniotomy.

This was what Li Xu had to do today: find the perfect balance between anesthesia and consciousness.

Luo Xiangnan glanced at the wall clock, unable to hold back his impatience. "Dean Li, when can we begin the surgery?"

Li Xu looked at the data on the monitor, then sensed the qi sensation beneath the needles. "Just a moment."

"We will begin the surgery in fifteen minutes."

"The patient has already achieved the arrival of qi, but we need a little more time for this meridian response to spread throughout the body and reach a saturated state where ’the qi arrives at the site of the disease.’"

"After that, the operation will proceed smoothly!"

Hearing this, Luo Xiangnan nodded and said no more.

Although he still felt uncertain, Li Xu’s confident tone calmed his nerves slightly.

Today, Hu Qiming had also entered the operating room as an assistant.

He was dressed in green scrubs and wore a surgical mask. Though most of his face was hidden, his nervousness was still palpable.

Having just recently become a full-time doctor, he was now in a high-level neurosurgery operating room, observing a major procedure destined to go down in history. His palms were slick with sweat.

He was even more worried about whether Li Xu would succeed.

’This isn’t some simple cold or fever,’ he thought. ’This is like dancing on the edge of a knife!’

If this failed, not only would Li Xu’s reputation be ruined, but the fledgling oncology department integration plan would become a joke. Even the entire Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine would be implicated.

Everyone in the room, from the assistants at the operating table to the bigwigs in the observation gallery, was staring intently at Li Xu.

This was especially true for the Anesthesiologist, who should have been busy.

Today, he was a complete bystander, standing in the corner and watching over the silent anesthesia machine.

Right now, he was like a defensive tower in a video game whose crystal had been destroyed. He had no damage output and couldn’t provide any vision, able only to watch awkwardly and curiously as this TCM doctor stole his job.

While manipulating the needles, Li Xu constantly observed the patient’s vital signs.

Once the time was right!

He began to adjust the stimulation frequency of the Electric Needle Device.

This time, Li Xu once again chose to use electroacupuncture.

After all, compared to traditional manual manipulation, the stimulation frequency from an electric needle was more stable and continuous, better suiting the long duration of modern surgeries.

But!

Just then, Li Xu did something that stunned everyone in the know.

He directly cranked the stimulation frequency up to 100Hz!

It was common knowledge that for acupuncture anesthesia or analgesia on the limbs, the stimulation frequency usually didn’t exceed 20Hz, as higher frequencies could easily lead to muscle fatigue and tolerance.

But... cranial surgery was different.

The scalp’s nerve distribution was extremely dense and sensitive. To achieve effective analgesia during the scalp incision and skull drilling, high-frequency stimulation was necessary to block the transmission of pain signals.

This was an application of "using pain to stop pain," or what was known as the "gate control theory."

As for the waveform, he chose a dense-disperse wave.

This type of wave could effectively prevent neural adaptation and maintain a long-lasting analgesic effect.

Once all the adjustments were complete, seven more filiform needles appeared in Li Xu’s hand.

His expression was solemn, his hands moving like lightning.

He started directly with the Sishencong points on the crown of the head, but only used the anterior and posterior ones.

Then, following the Du meridian, he needled the Shangxing, Shenting, and Baihui points in succession.

Finally, he inserted another needle near the Quanliao point on the face, applying deep stimulation.

The effectiveness of acupuncture anesthesia depended on two key factors!

Point selection was the first. It was the foundation that determined success or failure.

Generally speaking, traditional point selection for acupuncture anesthesia followed one of two lines of thought.

The first was selecting points along the meridians.

This involved choosing points closely related to the meridian of the incision site or the organ being operated on.

For example, for a tooth extraction, one might choose the He Gu and Sanjian points on the Large Intestine meridian of the hand-Yangming.

For an abdominal tubal ligation, one might select the Taichong point on the Liver meridian of the foot-Jueyin.

The second was selecting points locally.

This meant choosing points near the surgical incision itself.

For instance, selecting the Jiache and Daying points for a lower tooth extraction.

Or the Daimai point for a cesarean section.

But Li Xu’s point selection today belonged to neither of these categories!

He was using a brand-new method that combined modern anatomy and neurophysiology.

Li Xu hadn’t given it a name, but in his mind, he called it the ’Segmental Nerve Point Selection Method.’

This method was actually more commonly used in orthopedic surgery.

For example, in upper limb surgery, one might choose the Jiquan point or an arm plexus point (to directly stimulate the brachial plexus).

In lower limb surgery, one would stimulate the femoral or sciatic nerves.

And Li Xu’s manipulation of the Quanliao point today utilized this very principle: by directly stimulating the second branch of the trigeminal nerve (the maxillary nerve), he could block the transmission of pain in the head and face, providing deep analgesia for the craniotomy.

Li Xu didn’t hold back any of these operational details.

He performed them under everyone’s watchful eyes, even intentionally slowing his movements, hoping to capture certain people’s attention, hoping someone would understand.

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