Evaluation of the intraoperative analgesic effects of perioperative electroacupuncture: a randomised, blinded clinical trial in dogs.

Perioperative electroacupuncture reduces intraoperative fentanyl consumption by over 60% in dogs undergoing TTA surgery.

This prospective, randomised, blinded, controlled clinical trial investigated whether perioperative electroacupuncture (EA) could reduce intraoperative opioid requirements in dogs undergoing tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) surgery for cranial cruciate ligament rupture. Twenty-nine client-owned dogs were randomised to receive EA at five predefined acupuncture points (LI-4, ST-36, LIV-3, SP-6, and GB-34) in addition to a standardised anaesthetic protocol (n=14), or to a control group receiving the standardised protocol alone (n=15). The anaesthetic protocol included methadone, dexmedetomidine, propofol, and ketamine, with intraoperative sevoflurane and fentanyl titrated according to signs of nociception via a standardised flowchart. The anaesthetist administering rescue analgesia was blinded to group allocation. Results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in fentanyl consumption in the EA group [0.7 (0–2.7) μg/kg/hour] compared to controls [2.0 (1.2–5.5) μg/kg/hour] (p=0.031), representing a greater than 60% reduction in mean fentanyl use. Notably, 50% of EA-treated dogs required no fentanyl bolus during surgery, whereas all control dogs required at least one bolus. Heart rate, mean arterial blood pressure, and end-tidal sevoflurane were descriptively analysed without formal statistical comparison. While the sample size was relatively small and sevoflurane consumption was not statistically analysed, the findings support the use of perioperative EA as an effective opioid-sparing adjunct in canine orthopaedic surgery, with potential implications for multimodal analgesic protocols.

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