Abstract
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was a complementary therapy to the pharmacological management of postoperative pain for long time. However, the hypoglycemic effect and insulin resistance (IR) improvement by TENS on specific acupoints had not been investigated. We designed a single blind, randomized control clinical study of 60 female patients, scheduled for elective low abdominal surgery. The 52 patients consented to enrollment and were assigned to receive either TENS (n = 26) on bilateral Zusanli (ST36) acupoints with continuous mode at a frequency of 15 Hz and the intensity of 10 mA synchronously for 30 minutes or non-stimulation (placebo group, n = 26) during general anesthesia to examine the effects on lowering plasma glucose and improving IR. Statistically significant lowering plasma glucose level, hypoglycemic activity, and lower homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) index were obtained in the TENS group (p ?? 0.05) than the placebo group. We recommend TENS at bilateral Zusanli acupoints as an alternative management for diabetic patients to control plasma glucose level and to improve IR perioperatively.
Key words：TENS, Zusanli acupoint, plasma glucose, insulin resistance
