Intraoperative transcutaneous electroacupoint stimulation on early postoperative fatigue in patients with Parkinson's disease undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery
Fu T, Kang F, Han M, Huang X, Zhu B, Kan BF, Wang SM, Li J · Heliyon · 2024 May
DOI 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30012
Objective
To investigate the effects of transcutaneous electroacupoint stimulation on postoperative fatigue in patients with Parkinson disease undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery.
Conclusions
Intraoperative transcutaneous electroacupoint stimulation decreased the severity of postoperative fatigue, reduced intraoperative anesthetic requirements, and facilitated recovery after deep brain stimulation surgery in patients with Parkinson disease.
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Insights
Electrical stimulation at acupuncture points during brain surgery reduced postoperative fatigue while improving recovery and reducing anaesthetic and pain-relief needs in people with Parkinson disease.
Patients with Parkinson disease undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery were randomly assigned to receive either electrical stimulation through skin electrodes placed at acupuncture points on both legs or identical inactive electrodes. The intervention was delivered during most of both surgical stages, while anaesthetic administration was adjusted using brain activity monitoring. Researchers assessed fatigue, recovery quality, cognitive function, and use of additional pain-relief and anti-nausea medicines during the week after surgery.
Compared with inactive electrodes, electrical stimulation resulted in fewer patients experiencing severe postoperative fatigue and was associated with better overall recovery and cognitive scores across much of the follow-up period. It also reduced requirements for sedative and anaesthetic medicines during surgery and lowered the need for rescue pain medication afterward.
