Preoperative Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Alleviates Postoperative Pain and Improves Sleep Quality in Breast Cancer Patients with Preoperative Sleep Disturbance: A Partially Randomized Controlled Trial.

Authors

Can Ma, Hong Xiong, Wenchao Fu, Shihua Lv, Lijuan Zhang, Dengming Zhao, Cong Hu, Xiuli Wang, Wenzhi Li

Published in

Journal of pain research. Volume 19. Pages 619125. Epub Jul 10, 2026.

Abstract

Preoperative sleep disturbance exacerbates postoperative pain and delays recovery. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) may alleviate insomnia and pain. This trial evaluated preoperative TEAS on postoperative pain, sleep, and intraoperative hemodynamics in breast cancer patients with preoperative sleep disturbance.
Fifty-nine breast cancer patients (aged 37-70 years) were stratified by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI): PSQI < 6 were assigned to the non-randomized control group (Group C, n = 26), while patients with PSQI ≥ 6 were randomly allocated (1:1) to the sleep disturbance group (Group S, n = 16) or the TEAS group (Group T, n = 17). TEAS (2/100 Hz, 8-12 mA, 30 min) was delivered pre-anesthesia at LI4, HT7, and PC6. Pain was assessed via Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) at 4, 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively. Sleep was measured with Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Intraoperative systolic blood pressure variability (sdSBP, cvSBP) was recorded.
In observational comparisons, Group S exhibited elevated NRS scores at 24, 48, and 72 h vs Group C (p < 0.05). TEAS significantly reduced NRS scores across all time points (p < 0.05) and improved AIS scores on postoperative days 1-2 (p < 0.05). Intraoperative sdSBP and cvSBP were lower in Group T than Group S (9.31 ± 2.73 vs 18.85 ± 6.74; 0.08 ± 0.02 vs 0.16 ± 0.05; p < 0.05). Among non-TEAS patients (Groups C and S), preoperative PSQI positively correlated with postoperative NRS and AIS scores.
Preoperative TEAS significantly attenuates postoperative pain and improves sleep in breast cancer patients with preoperative sleep disturbance, possibly associated with reduced intraoperative blood pressure variability. Preoperative sleep quality may predict postoperative outcomes.

PMID:
42454001
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

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