ArticleBMC anesthesiology2025
Patients´ experiences of TENS as a postoperative pain relief method in the post-anesthesia care unit after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a qualitative study.
Article in BMC anesthesiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04114149 (Effective Postoperative Pain Relief After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy With TENS), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effective Postoperative Pain Relief After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy With TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Treatment for First Line of Treatment Compared to Conventional Treatment With Opioids
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Insights and progress on postoperative analgesia of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a comprehensive review.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Review
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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHigh-frequency, high-intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (HFHI TENS, i.e. 80 Hz and 40-60 mA) is an effective, fast-acting pain relief modality after elective surgery, offering pain relief within 5 min. Few studies have explored patients' perspectives on using TENS in the post-anesthesia care unit. This study investigates patients' experiences and perceptions of TENS as a complementary approach to traditional pharmacological pain management in postoperative care.
methodPatients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were offered TENS as an alternative to conventional pain treatment with IV opioids. Twenty participants attended telephone semi-structured telephone interviews a median of 12 days after surgery. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis according to Braun and Clark.
resultsParticipants expressed that TENS provided reassurance and relaxation, calmed them, and gave them a sense of control over their pain. Participants perceived a greater degree of autonomy as TENS could be administered independently. They conveyed a preference for TENS, which they experienced as a safe and fast-acting alternative to opioids, despite its limitations in managing severe pain and rapid offset upon discontinuation.
conclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first study that describes patients' views on managing postoperative pain using TENS in the post-anesthesia care unit. This study indicates that patients desire alternatives to drugs for pain control in the postoperative setting. TENS has advantages, such as a rapid onset and offset and supporting patient autonomy, as well as drawbacks, such as being ineffective when pain is too severe. TENS could be included within the routine multimodal analgesia framework for person-centred postoperative pain management.
trial registrationThe participants in the current study were retrospectively registered and recruited from a randomized controlled trial (RCT; registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04114149).
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