title: Reduction of postoperative pain and narcotic use by transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.
abstract: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was evaluated as a postoperative analgesic. Patients undergoing lumbar spine operations, hip surgery, and gynecological laparotomies were studied. Sterile electrodes, placed near the incision immediately after operation, were connected to a continuously operating stimulator for 48 hours after operation. Results from 46 experimental patients demonstrated that TENS could reduce the demand for postoperative narcotics in a group of patients who had not used narcotic analgesics before operation. No significant benefit was observed for patients who had used narcotics prior to operation.
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D006176:Gynecology / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D011581:Psychological Tests
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics