Effect of transauricular nerve stimulation on perioperative pain: a single-blind, analyser-masked, randomised controlled trial
An erratum to this article was published (Br J Anaesth, Mar 2025 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
Bilateral TAN reduces perioperative pain through autonomic modulation.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (>18 yr) undergoing surgery for orthopaedic trauma79 completed TAN
- Participants
- 86 adults
- Comparison
- Active vs sham bilateral TAN
- Active TANn = 40
- Sham TANn = 39reference
- Primary endpoint
- Absolute change in pain (100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS)) before vs after TAN
- Follow-up
- 24 h postoperatively
Methodological detailssingle-blind, analyser-masked, sham-controlled, June 22, 2021 to July 7, 2022
- Single-blind
- Analyser-masked
- Sham-controlled
- June 22, 2021 to July 7, 2022
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Reduction in VAS
Active TAN
19
mean · 95% CI 12–26 · mm
Sham TAN
10
mean · 95% CI 3–17 · mm
P = 0.023
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | Active TAN | Sham TAN | OR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimally clinically important reduction in postoperative pain (>10 mm VAS)Intention-to-treat | 78% | 38% | 5.51 (2.06–14.73) | P = 0.001 | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Heart rate variability (log low-frequency power)
- Only active TAN increased heart rate variability; log low-frequency power increased by
- 0.19 ms2 [0.01-0.37 ms2]
Safety
Events
| Outcome | Active TAN | Sham TAN |
|---|---|---|
| Prespecified adverse events (auricular skin irritation) | 6 | 2 |
Original publication
Effect of transauricular nerve stimulation on perioperative pain: a single-blind, analyser-masked, randomised controlled trial. Br J Anaesth. Published 22 February 2023. doi:10.
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