Application and Research Progress of Acupuncture in Neurological Management of Critically Ill Patients

Neurological management constitutes one of the core components of the critical care medicine diagnostic and therapeutic system, permeating the entire trajectory of critically ill patient care. It primarily centers on three pivotal objectives: the optimization of analgesia and sedation, the prevention and treatment of delirium, and the facilitation of awakening in patients with consciousness disorders. With the deepening of research into acupuncture’s mechanisms of action and the accumulation of clinical evidence, its unique value in the neurological management of critically ill patients has become increasingly prominent, emerging as a key direction for the integration of traditional medicine and modern critical care medicine. This article systematically synthesizes findings from recent animal experiments and clinical studies, summarizing acupuncture’s application value in assisting analgesia and sedation, ameliorating delirium, and promoting consciousness recovery from three dimensions—mechanism of action, clinical evidence, and application standards. In doing so, it aims to provide theoretical and practical support for constructing a novel integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine paradigm for the neurological management of critically ill patients.