Exploring the Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Therapy on Patients After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

December 3, 2025 updated by: Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

Exploring the Impact of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation Therapy on Postoperative Pain, Quality of Life, and Blood Inflammatory Markers in Lung Cancer Patients After Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Thoracic surgery is known to be one of the most painful types of surgery. If acute postoperative pain is not properly managed, there is a high risk that it may develop into clinically significant chronic pain within six months after surgery, which can seriously affect quality of life. According to research on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS), using multimodal pain management strategies can significantly reduce postoperative pain and decrease reliance on pain medications. This study aims to investigate whether combining transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation therapy with conventional pain management can further enhance pain relief and improve recovery outcomes.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of three postoperative analgesic strategies in patients undergoing lesion resection via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Under standard postoperative care protocols, patients will be randomized into three groups: (1) conventional pharmacologic analgesia alone, (2) conventional analgesia combined with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and (3) conventional analgesia combined with both transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS). The primary outcomes include the assessment of acute postoperative pain intensity, blood inflammatory biomarkers, health-related quality of life, and the incidence of postoperative complications. This investigation seeks to determine whether adjunctive use of neuromodulatory techniques such as TENS and TEAS can enhance analgesic efficacy and improve postoperative recovery profiles.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
90

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Hualien
      • Taipei, Hualien, Taiwan, 97002
        • Hualien Tzu Chi Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • People who are about to undergo thoracic surgery

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with epilepsy,
  • Pacemaker installed
  • Severe infections status

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Control Group
Participants receive standard postoperative analgesia according to institutional protocol.
Drug: Standard Analgesia
Postoperative analgesic medications administered according to standard clinical practice and hospital guidelines
Experimental: TENS Group
Participants receive standard postoperative analgesia combined with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
Drug: Standard Analgesia
Postoperative analgesic medications administered according to standard clinical practice and hospital guidelines
Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation therapy applied to specific areas to reduce postoperative pain
Experimental: TENS + TEAS Group
Participants receive standard postoperative analgesia combined with both transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS).
Drug: Standard Analgesia
Postoperative analgesic medications administered according to standard clinical practice and hospital guidelines
Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
Non-invasive electrical nerve stimulation therapy applied to specific areas to reduce postoperative pain
Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS)
Electrical stimulation applied to specific acupuncture points through the skin to enhance analgesic efficacy and modulate autonomic function.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative Pain Intensity Assessed Using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Within 48 hours after surgery
Pain intensity will be assessed using a 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where 0 indicates "no pain" and 10 indicates "worst imaginable pain."
Within 48 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Blood Inflammatory Markers
Time Frame: Within 48 hours after surgery
Blood inflammatory markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), will be calculated using complete blood count (CBC) parameters. NLR increases are commonly interpreted as indicators of elevated systemic inflammation, whereas decreases in LMR may reflect enhanced inflammatory activity or physiological stress following surgery. These ratios will be assessed at multiple perioperative time points to evaluate changes in inflammatory response. The relationship between postoperative pain levels, clinical recovery, and changes in NLR and LMR will be analyzed to determine whether inflammatory activation is associated with greater postoperative pain or adverse outcomes. Units of measure are expressed as ratios (NLR, LMR).
Within 48 hours after surgery
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
Time Frame: At baseline (preoperative), and after surgery 6 and 48 hours later
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) will be used to evaluate participants' psychological status during the perioperative period. The scale consists of 14 items, with 7 items assessing anxiety (HADS-A) and 7 items assessing depression (HADS-D). Each item is scored from 0 to 3, yielding subscale scores ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater levels of anxiety or depression. Changes in HADS-A and HADS-D scores will be analyzed to determine postoperative psychological responses and the potential impact of different analgesic interventions.
At baseline (preoperative), and after surgery 6 and 48 hours later

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 28, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 28, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 3, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 17, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 17, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 3, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Lin,Chun-Ya

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

IPD Plan Description

Because it is still underway, I will share it after the research is completed.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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