ArticlePain and therapy2026
Efficacy of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Postoperative Pain Relief in Patients Undergoing Elective Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Tumor Surgery.
Article in Pain and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06763913 (taVNS Reduces Postoperative Pain and Complications in Patients With Gastric and Intestinal Tumors), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
taVNS Reduces Postoperative Pain and Complications in Patients With Gastric and Intestinal Tumors: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Controlled Trial
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionAcute postoperative pain remains prevalent among patients undergoing gastrointestinal tumor surgery. The study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) in alleviating postoperative pain in this population.
methodsThis patient- and assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Eligible participants who underwent elective laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor surgery were randomly assigned to the taVNS or control stimulation group. Both groups received the stimulation on the day before surgery and the day after surgery. The primary outcome was the change in visual analogue scale (VAS) scores at 24 h postoperatively.
resultsThe median reduction in VAS scores was 12.0 in the taVNS group, compared with 5.0 in the control stimulation group (median [interquartile range, IQR] 12.0 [10.0-13.3] mm vs 5.0 [2.0-8.0] mm; P < 0.001). Additionally, the taVNS group showed lower cumulative morphine milligram equivalents (MME) at 48 h (median [IQR] 0 [0-5] mg vs 5 [0-10] mg; P = 0.004) and 72 h (median [IQR] 0 [0-5] mg vs 5 [0-10] mg; P = 0.002), and shorter time to first flatus (median [IQR] 45 [40-60] h vs 75 [60-85] h; P < 0.001). The incidence of complications, length of hospital stay, and quality of recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores are similar between groups.
conclusionTaVNS statistically alleviated postoperative pain in patients undergoing gastrointestinal tumor surgery, decreased analgesic requirements, and promoted gastrointestinal function recovery.
trial registrationNCT06763913.
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