Zhihu Zhou,* Xiang Yang,* Min Shi, Liqiao Huang, Danping Wu, Huailong Yang, Xu Zhang

Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, Guilin, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xu Zhang, Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, No. 212, Renmin Road, Lingui District, Guilin, Guangxi, 541199, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 189 3477 9973, Email zhangxu@glmc.edu.cn

Purpose: Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) has emerged as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to enhance postoperative recovery. However, its application during the post-anesthesia recovery period remains underexplored. This study investigated the impact of TEAS during the post-anesthesia recovery period on postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing laparoscopic gynecological surgery.
Patients and Methods: In this single-center, randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial, 100 patients undergoing elective gynecological laparoscopic surgery were randomly allocated to receive either TEAS or sham stimulation at bilateral Hegu (LI4), Neiguan (PC6), Zusanli (ST36), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints for 30 minutes during the post-anesthesia recovery period in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). The primary outcome was the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score assessed on postoperative days (POD) 1, 2, and 3. Secondary outcomes included pain, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), recovery times, and adverse events.
Results: Ninety-seven patients completed the study, with 48 in the TEAS group and 49 in the Sham group. The TEAS group exhibited significantly higher QoR-15 scores on POD 1 compared to the Sham group, with improvements in emotional state, physical comfort, and pain dimensions. On POD 2, the TEAS group had significantly higher pain dimension scores. The TEAS group also reported lower resting VAS scores on POD 1 and lower exercise VAS scores on POD 1 and 2. The incidence of PONV was lower on POD 1, with fewer patients requiring rescue antiemetics. Additionally, the TEAS group experienced shorter times to first flatus and ambulation. Adverse events were comparable between the groups, with no local skin irritation noted in the TEAS group.
Conclusion: TEAS applied during the post-anesthesia recovery period significantly improves early postoperative recovery quality, reduces pain and PONV, and accelerates functional recovery in patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery.

Keywords: TEAS, post-anesthesia recovery period, gynecological laparoscopic surgery, postoperative recovery quality, QoR-15