Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36822987›Full record

Trial reportBritish journal of anaesthesia2023

Effect of transauricular nerve stimulation on perioperative pain: a single-blind, analyser-masked, randomised controlled trial.

Amour B U Patel, Phillip P W M Bibawy, Juri Ibrahim M Althonayan, Zehra Majeed, Weng L Gan, Tom E F Abbott, Gareth L Ackland

Erratum issued 2 registry-linked trialsOpen access · hybridAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in British journal of anaesthesia, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 15 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06957912 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Effect of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Quality of Recovery After Major Noncardiac Surgery: A Randomized Trial.

TypeinterventionalSponsorPeking University First HospitalRan2025 to 2026Enrolled320ConditionsVagus Nerve Stimulation, Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation, Noncardiac Surgery, Quality of RecoveryArmsTranscutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation, Sham stimulation
NCT07394647 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Preventing Emergence Agitation and Delirium After Pediatric Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Interventional Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical UniversityRan2026 to 2026Enrolled120ConditionsEmergence Agitation, Emergence DeliriumArmsActive taVNS Group, Sham stimulation group
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Amour B U PatelTranslational Medicine and Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
Phillip P W M BibawyBarts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, UK.
Juri Ibrahim M AlthonayanBarts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, UK.
Zehra MajeedTranslational Medicine and Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
Weng L GanBarts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, UK.
Tom E F AbbottTranslational Medicine and Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK.
Gareth L AcklandTranslational Medicine and Therapeutics, William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK. Electronic address: g.ackland@qmul.ac.uk.
Queen Mary University of London · GB

Funding

British Heart Foundation RG/19/5/34463
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundActivation of central autonomic pathways, including those regulating the arterial baroreflex, might reduce acute pain. We tested the hypothesis that transcutaneous auricular nerve stimulation (TAN) reduces pain after orthopaedic trauma surgery through autonomic modulation.

methodsA total of 86 participants aged >18 yr were randomly assigned to 50 min of either sham or active bilateral TAN, undertaken before, and again 24 h after, surgery for orthopaedic trauma. The primary outcome was absolute change in pain 24 h postoperatively, comparing the 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after TAN. Secondary outcomes included the minimal clinically important difference in pain (>10 mm increase or reduction in VAS) before/after surgery, using intention-to-treat analysis. Holter monitoring, the analysis of which was masked to allocation, quantified autonomic modulation of heart rate.

resultsFrom June 22, 2021 to July 7, 2022, 79/86 participants (49 yr; 45% female) completed TAN before and after surgery. For the primary outcome, the mean reduction in VAS was 19 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12-26) after active TAN (n=40), vs 10 mm (95% CI: 3-17) after sham TAN (n=39; P=0.023). A minimally clinically important reduction in postoperative pain occurred in 31/40 (78%) participants after active TAN, compared with 15/39 (38%) allocated to sham TAN (odds ratio 5.51 [95% CI: 2.06-14.73]; P=0.001). Only active TAN increased heart rate variability (log low-frequency power increased by 0.19 ms

conclusionBilateral TAN reduces perioperative pain through autonomic modulation. These proof-of-concept data support a non-pharmacological, generalisable approach to improve perioperative analgesia.

Indexed as

Acute PainPostoperative PainFemaleHumansMaleSingle-Blind Methodautonomic modulationcomplicationsinflammationneuromodulationorthopaedic surgerypainperioperativepostoperative pain

Identifiers

PMID36822987
PMCPMC10080471
OpenAlexW4321438933

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.