Abstract: Objective To observe the effects of postoperative electroacupuncture treatment on perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction (PND) and the levels of inflammatory factors in the elderly patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery under general anaesthesia. Methods Eighty elderly patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery under general anaesthesia were selected and randomly divided into the control group and the acupuncture group, with 40 cases in each group. Both groups were given the same anaesthetic method. The control group was given conventional treatment after surgery, and the acupuncture group was treated with electroacupuncture on the basis of conventional treatment. Cognitive function was assessed before and 1, 3 and 7 days after surgery using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the serum levels of the inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 were measured in the two groups. Results The incidence rate of PND in the acupuncture group was lower than that in the control group on the first day and the third day after operation, with significant differences (P < 0.05). In the acupuncture group, the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly lower than those in the control group on the first day, the third day and the seventh day after operation (P < 0.05), and the level of IL-1β was lower than that in the control group on the first day and the third day after operation. On the first, third and 7th day after operation, the MMSE score was negatively correlated with the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 in the acupucture group. Conclusions Electroacupuncture treatment can reduce the incidence of perioperative cognitive function in the elderly patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery, and the effects can be related to the inhibition of inflammatory factors expression by electroacupuncture.

Key words: electroacupuncture, perioperative neurocognitive dysfunction, inflammatory factors, aged