Acupuncture Regulates the Heart Rate Variability: A Case Report

Acupuncture is widely used in clinical practice. According to traditional acupuncture theory, the Neiguan acupoint (PC6)is one of the most commonly used acupointsand is indicated for treating cardiovascular related disorders. This report describes the case of a 27-year-old femalewho had been diagnosed as havinga ventricular septal defect (VSD) and who had undergone surgery to repair that defectat the age of 11.The patient had no obvious symptoms, such as palpitations and difficulty breathing.However, during the electrocardiography(ECG) monitoring process, we found that she suffered from arrhythmia, so we treated her by using acupuncture at left PC6. An ECG monitor was usedto record data duringthe entireacupuncture procedure, which was divided into three segments: before, during, and after acupuncture. Then, various indices of heart rate variability were determined and analyzed.The results indicate that acupuncture can regulate the heart rate variability effectively; however, more studies are needed to confirm this finding.