Neiguan and Jianshi Acupoint Stimulation Aids Hemodynamic Stability in a Cervical Cord Trauma Patient

A 36-year-old male patient with posttraumatic cervical cord damage and resultant quadriparesis, demonstrated hypotension and periods of bradycardia. For most of his two-month stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), he was dependent on dopamine support to maintain hemodynamic stability. Keeping in mind evidence from the literature, that electrostimulation of acupoints Neiguan (PC - 6) and Jianshi (PC - 5) has therapeutic efficacy in restoring hypotension, we treated this patient with two six-hour periods of electrostimulation at these acupoints. We noted beneficial hemodynamic effects, with a resultant successful withdrawal of dopamine support lasting for up to 48 hours. This case report demonstrates the therapeutic efficacy of electrostimulation of PC - 5 and PC - 6 acupoints to wean a patient off chronic dopamine support, and this warrants further investigation.