Effects of Perioperative TEAS on Postoperative Pain and Agitation in Pediatric Adenoidectomy and Tonsillectomy

Adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy are generally performed during childhood to help reduce snoring and improve sleep or caused by recurrent infection.And insufficient analgesia may result in postoperative sore throat, difficulty swallowing, aspiration, delayed discharge, spasm, and agitation. Remedial analgesic drugs such as morphine and opioids may lead to postoperative respiration depression, desaturation and vomiting.Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) is a peripheral stimulation, which is a modern therapy derived from traditional acupuncture. Relevant clinical trials show that it can effectively relieve pain, and has slight side-effects.However, most of these clinical trials are conducted in adults, and there have been few clinical trials involving children. For this reason, in line with good tolerance and less side effects of TEAS, ,this study is designed to enhance the therapeutic effect of adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy pain by means of taking advantage of the skin-sticking electro-acupuncture.It is also hoped that this study can certify if TEAS can reduce the amount and side effects of analgesic drugs, such as morphine, and improve the postoperative safety of children, and moreover, explore the possible mechanisms by which TEAS relieve pain in children.