Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on pain of patients in expansion process of skin soft tissue dilator on forehead by water injection

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on pain of patients in expansion process of skin soft tissue dilator on forehead by water injection. Methods: From June 2016 to June 2017, 100 patients in expansion process of skin soft tissue dilator on forehead by water injection meeting the inclusion criteria were admitted to Outpatient Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. There were 43 men and 57 women among the patients, aged 27 to 55 years, and the prospective randomized controlled study was performed on them. The patients were divided into TEAS nursing group and routine nursing group according to the random number table, with 50 patients in each group. Patients in routine nursing group were performed with routine nursing in every water injection in outpatient department and 2 days later. On the basis of routine nursing, patients in TEAS nursing group were performed with TEAS treatment by responsible nurses in each water injection in outpatient department. The Shangxing, Diwei, and Hegu points were positioned accurately, and electrical stimulation was performed on the 3 points simultaneously by pulse acupuncture treatment instrument, with 30 minutes each time. Two days after every water injection of outpatient department, TEAS nursing was performed at home by patients and their family members under remote guidance of the responsible nurses, with 2 times each day and 30 minutes each time. Besides, follow-up was done by phone by the responsible nurses everyday. The nursing of patients in the 2 groups lasted the whole expansion process. After the expansion process, the overall pain degree and the most severe pain degree of patients during expansion process were scored by numerical rating scale, and the overall comfort degree and its dimensions of patients during expansion process were scored by the responsible nurses every day by simplified Comfort Status Scale. Data were processed with independent sample t test and chi-square test. Results: During expansion process, the overall pain score degree and the most severe pain degree score of patients in TEAS nursing group were (5.4±1.2) and (6.5±1.0) points, which were significantly lower than (6.1±1.3) and (7.5±1.4) points of patients in routine nursing group (t=-2.62, -4.00, P<0.05 or P<0.01). During expansion process, the physiological dimension, sociocultural dimension, psychological spirit dimension, environmental dimension, and total score of the overall comfort degree of patients in TEAS nursing group were (9.6±2.9), (20.1±2.8), (29.1±1.9), (22±3), and (80±6) points, significantly higher than (5.7±2.1), (16.8±2.8), (26.0±2.8), (21±4), and (69±8) points of patients in routine nursing group (t=8.03, 6.35, 7.60, 2.11, 10.64, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusions: TEAS with appropriate intensity, frequency, and duration can alleviate the pain of patients during expansion process of skin soft tissue dilator on forehead by water injection and improve their comfort degree.