Effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on postoperative pain in pediatric orthopedic surgery with the enhanced recovery after surgery protocol: a prospective, randomized controlled trial

To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in postoperative analgesia following pediatric orthopedic surgery with the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol. Prospective randomized controlled trial. The Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital. Eligible participants were children aged 3–15 years who were scheduled to undergo orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities under general anesthesia. A total of 58 children were randomly allocated into two groups: TEAS (n = 29) and sham-TEAS (n = 29). The ERAS protocol was used in both groups. In the TEAS group, the bilateral Hegu (LI4) and Neiguan (PC6) acupoints were stimulated starting from 10 min before anesthetic induction until the completion of surgery. In the sham-TEAS group, the electric stimulator was also connected to the participants; however, electrical stimulation was not applied. The primary outcome was the severity of pain before leaving the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and at postoperative 2 h, 24 h, and 48 h. Pain intensity was measured with the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). None of the participants had any TEAS-related adverse reactions. In comparison with the sham-TEAS group, FPS-R scores in the TEAS group were significantly decreased before leaving the PACU and at postoperative 2 h and 24 h (p < 0.05). The incidence of emergence agitation, intraoperative consumption of remifentanil, and time to extubation were significantly reduced in the TEAS group. Furthermore, the time to first press of the patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) pump was significantly longer, the pressing times of the PCIA pump in 48 h after surgery was significantly decreased, and parental satisfaction was significantly improved (all p < 0.05). TEAS may safely and effectively relieve postoperative pain and reduce the consumption of perioperative analgesia in children following orthopedic surgery with the ERAS protocol. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200059577), registered on May 4, 2022.