Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41725944›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in cardiovascular medicine2026

Effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on patients after coronary artery bypass grafting: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Enyu Zhang, Jihe Kang, Yan Liu, Lulu Wang, Bo Wan, Xiaoling Li

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Enyu Zhang *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Jihe Kang *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Yan LiuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Lulu WangDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Bo WanDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
Xiaoling LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to systematically evaluate the potential effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on analgesic consumption, pain relief, and pulmonary function outcomes in patients following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across four core databases-PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB 2.0) tool, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated using the GRADE system. For statistical analysis, standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for continuous variables. Heterogeneity was assessed via the Results: First, regarding pain management, TENS demonstrated greater efficacy in postoperative acute pain at rest (within 12 h) than control interventions (SMD = -1.02, 95% CI: -0.23-2.28; Conclusion: The current evidence preliminarily suggests that TENS may reduce postoperative analgesic dependence and modestly improve pulmonary function in patients following CABG; however, it has not demonstrated a statistically significant advantage in pain relief. Given the substantial heterogeneity across studies, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Future large-scale RCTs with standardized protocols are needed to validate these findings. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024594786, PROSPERO CRD42024594786.

Indexed as

analgesicscoronary artery surgerylung functionpostoperative paintranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Identifiers

PMID41725944
PMCPMC12916612

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.