Nausea and vomiting after surgery can ruin a patient's recovery. For people undergoing breast surgery, these symptoms are common and distressing. A new analysis looked at a specific non-drug treatment called transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation, or TEAS. This method uses mild electrical currents applied to specific points on the skin to help calm the nausea reflex. The researchers combined data from many studies involving 1,752 patients to see if this approach truly helped.
The results were clear. TEAS significantly reduced the overall risk of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Patients who received this treatment also reported less nausea and less vomiting than those who received sham stimulation or standard care alone. Beyond just stopping the sickness, the treatment also led to lower pain scores and better early recovery quality scores. Fewer patients needed extra rescue medications to feel better.
The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE method. While the findings are promising, the study authors note that further large-scale, sham-controlled trials are warranted to establish standardized protocols. This means doctors need more data to agree on exactly how to apply the treatment. Still, the data supports integrating this non-pharmacological option into perioperative care plans.
