Effects of intraoperative transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in patients undergoing hip arthroplasty or femur fracture fixation under general anesthesia.

Authors

Zhen Lei, Jingjing Yang, Li Ye, Linzhi Xia, Wenxiu Li, Xugui Li

Published in

Minerva anestesiologica. Volume 92. Issue 9. Pages 817-831.

Abstract

This study assesses the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) -assisted general anesthesia in orthopedic surgeries, focusing on perioperative parameters, hemodynamics, biochemical responses, pain, cognitive function, adverse reactions, and patient satisfaction.
A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 217 patients who underwent hip replacement surgery or femoral fracture fixation under general anesthesia at the Affiliated Hospital of Wuhan Sports University from August 2021 to August 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: the control group (N.=111) receiving conventional general anesthesia and the TEAS group (N.=106) receiving TEAS-assisted general anesthesia. Data collected included hemodynamic parameters, biochemical markers (cortisol, endothelin, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, and serum creatinine levels), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive function, incidence of adverse reactions, and postoperative satisfaction.
The TEAS group showed significantly lower intraoperative medication use (propofol, remifentanil, and sufentanil) and fewer rescue analgesia requirements (P<0.001). Postoperative VAS scores were lower at all time points (P<0.001), and MMSE scores indicated better early postoperative cognitive function (P<0.001). TEAS correlated with reduced hemodynamic fluctuations, lower heart rates, and stable mean arterial pressures (P<0.05). Biochemical responses were favorable, with lower cortisol and endothelin levels (P<0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions was lower (P=0.033), and patient satisfaction was higher (P=0.004) in the TEAS group.
TEAS-assisted general anesthesia significantly improves perioperative outcomes in orthopedic surgery patients by enhancing hemodynamic stability, reducing medication needs, mitigating stress responses, decreasing pain, and preserving cognitive function, while increasing satisfaction and lowering adverse reactions. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

PMID:
42831853
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 05 Oct 2026.

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