Jones Alice YM
Increased Heart Rate (HR) and decreased Blood Pressure (BP) are common consequences of heart surgery. This study investigates the effects of transdermal electrical nerve stimulation applied to acupuncture points (Acu-TENS) on heart rate, blood pressure, Pressure Product (PPR), and nausea and vomiting indices. After open heart surgery. After open-heart surgery, 40 patients were randomly assigned to the Acu-TENS group, receiving 40-minute TENS with bilateral application to the PC6 acupoint on postoperative days 1 to 5, or to the Placebo- TENS group. , treated with TENS. The electrode placement is identical but there is no electrical output from the TENS device, even though the output light is activated. Heart rate, Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure (SBP and DBP) were recorded and RPP calculated. Symptoms of nausea and vomiting were quantified using a 4-point Likert scale before and after TENS intervention. Data on heart rate, blood pressure, and daily antiemetic administration were recorded for another 20 consecutive subjects who received no intervention and established a control group. A trend toward decreased heart rate and increased blood pressure in the Acu-TENS group was observed at 5 postoperative days, with all variables returning to preoperative values on day 4 (P > 0.2). In the placebo-TENS and control groups, HR was still higher (P < 0.0001), BP was lower (P < 0.05) and RPP higher (P = 0.01) compared with the respective values preoperatively on day 4.
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