ArticleAmerican journal of translational research2026
Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves postoperative recovery quality in patients undergoing thyroid surgery by inhibiting the inflammatory response: a randomized controlled trial.
Article in American journal of translational research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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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.
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis randomized controlled trial evaluated whether perioperative transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) improves recovery quality after thyroid surgery and explored a mediating role of the inflammatory response.
methodsA total of 120 patients undergoing thyroid surgery were randomly allocated to active taVNS (cavum conchae) or sham stimulation (earlobe). The primary outcome was the Quality of Recovery-40 (QoR-40) score at 24 h; secondary outcomes included pain scores, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), hospital stay, and interleukin-6 (IL-6)/tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. Linear mixed models with false-discovery-rate correction were used.
resultsThe taVNS group showed a higher adjusted QoR-40 score (β=7.41, P=0.0068), lower pain scores, reduced PONV incidence, and shorter hospital stay (all P<0.05). IL-6 and TNF-α mediated 27.7% and 26.1% of the recovery benefit, respectively (both P<0.001). Preoperative QoR-40 score independently predicted taVNS response (OR=0.30, P=0.008). No serious adverse events occurred.
conclusionPerioperative taVNS safely improves postoperative recovery, partly through inhibiting IL-6/TNF-α, with consistent benefits across patient subgroups. Preoperative QoR-40 may help identify optimal candidates, aligning with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) principles.
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