Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for reduction of preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery:a randomized controlled trial
FAN Qiannan
ZHANG Xiaobao
LIU Jingying
HE Guangxuan
Abstract：Objective To evaluate the effect of preoperative transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation(TEAS)to reducing perioperative anxiety among patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.Methods This randomized clinical trial was conducted from July 2024 to July 2025 at The Affiliated Suqian First People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University 130 patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery under general anesthesia.Participants were assigned to either the active TEAS group(TEAS group)or the sham TEAS group(STEAS group)using a random number table method.In TEAS group,TEAS was performed on the afternoon of the day before operation and in the morning of the day of operation in the treatment room of the wards,at Shenmen,bilateral Yintang,and Neiguan and each TEAS lasted for 30 min.In the STEAS group,electrode pads were placed on identical acupuncture points,with the current intensity maintained at 0 mA to ensure sham stimulation.The outcome was the incidence and scores of perioperative anxiety from the day of the operation up to 3 days after the procedure,as measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Anxiety(HADS-A)subscale.Additional recorded outcomes included the pain score using the Numerical Rating Scale(NRS)and the incidence of nausea and vomiting on 3 days after the procedure,and the Quality of Recovery Scale(QoR-15)score,the durations of surgery and anesthesia,extubation time,and length of stay in post-anesthesia care unit(PACU).Results Compared to the STEAS group,the incidence of anxiety was significantly decreased after the second TEAS session(P=0.035)and lower anxiety scores after the first session(P<0.01).The TEAS group also showed significantly higher recovery quality(P<0.001),lower postoperative pain scores(P<0.001),the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting was decreased(P<0.05).The time to tracheal extubation and the duration of post-anesthesia care unit stay were reduced(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the duration of operation or anesthesia(P>0.05).Conclusion Preoperative TEAS can effectively reduce preoperative anxiety and improve the quality of early postoperative recovery in the patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery,may serve as a viable adjunctive intervention.
Keywords：transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulationbariatric surgeryanxietyquality of recovery
Publication Date：2026-01-20
Online Publishing Date：2026-02-04(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：6( 81-86 )