Electroacupuncture for postoperative pain after nasal endoscopic surgery: Study protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Background: Postoperative pain is a common disorder that interferes with the quality of sleep after nasal endoscopic surgery and delays postoperative recovery. Acupuncture is an effective tool for pain management. However, electroacupuncture specifically for the relief of postoperative pain after nasal endoscopic surgery has not yet been studied through a randomized controlled trial. Method/Design: A randomized, sham-controlled, patient- and- assessor-blind trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in managing postoperative pain following nasal endoscopic surgery of sinusitis with nasal polyps. There will be 30participants randomly allocated to an electroacupuncture or non-invasive sham control in a 1:1 ratio. Treatment will be done within 2 hours before operation, immediately after the operation upon arrival to the recovery ward, and once daily for 3 days. The primary outcome of the Pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) will be analyzed using the area-under-the-curve (AUC) method. The secondary outcome measures include Heart Rate (HR) and Blood Pressure (BP) after operation, the sleep quality during the hospital stay (Actigragh),Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15), and the MOS item short form health survey (SF-36). ITT analysis will be used in this RCT. Discussion: This trial protocol provides an example of clinical application for the management of postoperative pain using electroacupuncture treatment. If the electroacupuncture treatment protocol confirms that this treatment method is effective and safe, it can be implemented as a standard of care for relieving postoperative pain in Chinese and Western medicine.