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eCAM Advance Access published online on January 23, 2008
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nem187
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© 2008 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Acupuncture Effects on Cardiac Functions Measured by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a Feline Model

Jen-Hsou Lin1, Chen-Haw Shih2, Krishna Kaphle1, Leang-Shin Wu1, Weng-Yih Tseng3, Jen-Hwey Chiu4, Tzu-chi Lee5 and Ying-Ling Wu2

1Department of Animal Science Technology, 2Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, 3Center for Optoelectronic Biomedicine, National Taiwan University Medical College, 4Department of Traditional Medicine, National Yang-Ming University and 5Institute of Public Health, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan

The usefulness of acupuncture (AP) as a complementary and/or alternative therapy in animals is well established but more research is needed on its clinical efficacy relative to conventional therapy, and on the underlying mechanisms of the effects of AP. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI), an important tool in monitoring cardiovascular diseases, provides a reliable method to monitor the effects of AP on the cardiovascular system. This controlled experiment monitored the effect electro-acupuncture (EA) at bilateral acupoint Neiguan (PC6) on recovery time after ketamine/xylazine cocktail anesthesia in healthy cats. The CMRI data established the basic feline cardiac function index (CFI), including cardiac output and major vessel velocity. To evaluate the effect of EA on the functions of the autonomic nervous and cardiovascular systems, heart rate, respiration rate, electrocardiogram and pulse rate were also measured. Ketamine/xylazine cocktail anesthesia caused a transient hypertension in the cats; EA inhibited this anesthetic-induced hypertension and shortened the post-anesthesia recovery time. Our data support existing knowledge on the cardiovascular benefits of EA at PC6, and also provide strong evidence for the combination of anesthesia and EA to shorten post-anesthesia recovery time and counter the negative effects of anesthetics on cardiac physiology.

Keywords: acupoint – anesthesia – cats – CFI – CMRI – electro-acupuncture (EA) – Neiguan – PC6

For reprints and all correspondence: Ying-Ling Wu, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan, R.O.C. Tel: +886-2-3366-1302; Fax: +886-2-2366-1475; E-mail: wuyl{at}ntu.edu.tw

Received May 25, 2007; accepted December 18, 2007


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