The Effect of Electroacustimulation On Postoperative Nausea, Vomiting and Pain in the Outpatient
Cosmetic Surgery Population: A Prospective, Randomized, Blinded Clinical Trial
Jeffrey D. Larson, MD, Karol A. Gutowski, MD, Ben C. Marcus, MD, Venkat K. Rao, MD, Pamela G. Avery, MD,
D. Heath Stacey, MD, Bob Yang, BS
Abstract
Background: Current rates of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) experienced by outpatient surgery
patients are as high as 20-30% (1). Electroacustimulation (EAS) therapy has been demonstrated to be effective
in controlling these symptoms (2), but trials identifying their efficacy in the outpatient surgery population are
lacking. This study integrates conventional pharmacotherapy with alternative medicine in prevention of PONV.
Methods: One hundred twenty two patients undergoing surgery procedures at an outpatient surgery center were
randomized to two treatment arms. The first arm was standardized pharmacologic PONV prevention typical for
patients undergoing outpatient surgery, while the second arm employed the use of ReliefBand, an FDA-approved
electroacustimulation (EAS) device with pharmacologic treatment to relieve symptoms of PONV and pain. EAS is
a derivative of acupuncture therapy that uses a small electrical current to stimulate acupuncture points on the
human body and is thought to relieve nausea, vomiting and pain. Outcomes measured were post-op
questionnaires evaluating pain and nausea symptoms, emetic events, the need for rescue medications and the
time to discharge.
Results: The electroacustimulation arm reported statistically significant lower nausea scores at 30 minutes and
120 minutes postoperatively (p< 0.05) (Figure 1). Additionally, subgroup analysis demonstrated significant
findings in favor of the experimental group, with anatomical subsets of surgical patients requiring less pain
medication and shorter times from surgery to discharge when compared with the standard treatment (Figure 2).
However, EAS did not have a significant effect on the amount of pain experienced by patients in any group.
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that EAS offers added protection against symptoms of PONV in an
outpatient cosmetic surgery population, representing a safe and cost-effective addition to current pharmacologic
preventive measures.
References
1. Carroll NV, Miederhoff P, Cox FM, Hirsch JD. Postoperative nausea and vomiting after discharge from
outpatient surgery centers. Anesth Analg 80:903-909, 1995.
2. Gan TJ, Jiao KR, Zenn M, Georgiade G. A randomized controlled comparison of electro-acupoint stimulation
or ondansetron versus placebo for the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anesth Analg
99:1070-5, 2004.
Disclosure/Financial Support
Supported by a grant from the Physicians Plus Insurance Corporation (Madison, WI).
None of the authors has a financial interest in any of the products, devices or drugs mentioned in this manuscript.
Nausea Ratings (1-10)
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
*
Control (n=60)
Acustimulation (n=61)
*
* p < 0.05
30 m
60 m
120 m
Minutes
Figure 1. Nausea ratings at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and 120 minutes after surgery.
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
*
Control
EAS
* p < 0.05
Time to Discharge
Figure 2. Time to discharge in patients undergoing abdominal body contouring procedures.