Pulmonary protection of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation in gynecological laparoscopic surgery: A randomized controlled trial

Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation improves pulmonary function by regulating oxidative stress during one-lung ventilation in patients with lung cancer undergoing thoracoscopic surgery: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on oxidative stress induced by one-lung ventilation, lung function, and postoperative quality of recovery in patients with lung cancer.

METHODS

The participants (n = 80) were assigned to the sham group and TEAS group. TEAS on bilateral Feishu (BL13), Zusanli (ST36), and Hegu (L14) was performed 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia and continued until the end of the surgery. In the sham group, the same acupoints were selected without electrical stimulation. PaO2/FiO2, intrapulmonary shunt ratio (Qs/Qt), alveolar-arterial oxygen tension (A-aDO2), and respiratory index (RI) were calculated to evaluate lung function before one-lung ventilation (T0), 30 min after one-lung ventilation (T1), 1 h after one-lung ventilation (T2), and 10 min after resuming two-lung ventilation (T3). The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were detected to estimate oxidative stress at T0, T1, T2, and T3. Secondary outcomes included removal time of thoracic drainage tube, duration of intensive care unit (ICU) stay, length of postoperative hospitalization, the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, and the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) score on postoperative day 1 and 2.

RESULTS

TEAS significantly increased PaO2/FiO2 at T1 and T2, while Qs/Qt, A-aDO2, and RI decreased remarkably from T1 to T3 (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, TEAS obviously decreased MDA and increased SOD activity at T2 and T3 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, TEAS also markedly shortened the length of ICU stay and hospital stay after surgery, whereas the QoR-15 score on postoperative day 1 and 2 was significantly higher (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

TEAS could reduce oxidative lung injury during one-lung ventilation, thereby protecting pulmonary function and effectively accelerating the early recovery of patients with lung cancer.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2000038243).

Low-frequency electrical stimulation promotes the recovery of gastrointestinal motility following gynecological laparoscopy (Review)

The rapid recovery of gastrointestinal transit is critical for clinical recovery following laparoscopic procedures, including gynecological laparoscopies (GLs). Rehabilitation interventions post-surgery may provide significant prevention against early post-operative gastrointestinal motility disorders and maid aid in the acceleration of post-operative recovery in patients undergoing GLs. Among others, low-frequency electrical stimulation (LFES) has been demonstrated to pronouncedly mitigate the symptoms caused by gastrointestinal motility disorders; thus, this has attracted increasing attention over the past decade. The present study aimed to present an overview of the efficacy and application of LFES in gastrointestinal motility recovery following GL procedures.