Li Qi, Zhao Donglin, Zhang Shuyang, Du Xinyu, Ding Ning, Xing Zheng, Chu Xiaolei, Xu Weiguo
Department of Rehabilitation, Tianjin University Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China.
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health, Tianjin University of Sport, Tianjin, China.
Front Neurosci. 2025 Jul 3;19:1586632. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1586632. eCollection 2025.
A 50-year-old female patient sustained bilateral tibiofibular fractures due to a traffic accident and underwent open external fixation surgery on both lower limbs. Postoperatively, she reported severe pain (VAS ≥ 8). The patient had no significant underlying medical conditions or contraindications to vagal nerve stimulation. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS)-a non-invasive modality that activates vagal pathways to modulate sympathetic-parasympathetic balance, suppress inflammation, and inhibit pain signaling-was trialed as an adjunctive analgesic intervention. Heart rate variability (HRV) was incorporated as an objective biomarker to quantify dynamic changes in autonomic function and their association with pain relief. After stabilization, taVNS was administered continuously for two weeks. Parameters monitored included immediate pressure pain thresholds (PPT) during intervention, daily postoperative analgesic consumption, and pre-/post-intervention Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores. Dynamic electrocardiography was used to record HRV parameters (HR, SDNN, RMSSD, LF, HF, LF/HF). Post-intervention, the patient demonstrated significant reductions in VAS scores, a progressive increase in PPT, and alleviated anxiety. HRV analysis revealed enhanced parasympathetic activity and improved sympathovagal balance. This case suggests that taVNS may effectively alleviate acute postoperative pain by modulating autonomic function. Dynamic HRV monitoring provided objective evidence of pain-autonomic nervous system interactions, supporting taVNS as a complementary strategy for postoperative pain management. However, as a single-case report, this study has limited sample size, necessitating further large-scale randomized controlled trials to validate these findings.
一名50岁女性患者因交通事故导致双侧胫腓骨骨折,双下肢接受了切开外固定手术。术后,她报告有严重疼痛(视觉模拟评分法[VAS]≥8分)。该患者无明显基础疾病,也无迷走神经刺激的禁忌证。经皮耳迷走神经刺激(taVNS)——一种激活迷走神经通路以调节交感-副交感神经平衡、抑制炎症和抑制疼痛信号传导的非侵入性方法——作为辅助镇痛干预措施进行了试验。心率变异性(HRV)被用作客观生物标志物,以量化自主神经功能的动态变化及其与疼痛缓解的关联。病情稳定后,持续给予taVNS两周。监测的参数包括干预期间的即时压力疼痛阈值(PPT)、术后每日镇痛药物消耗量以及干预前后的视觉模拟评分法(VAS)和广泛性焦虑障碍量表-7(GAD-7)评分。动态心电图用于记录HRV参数(心率、SDNN、RMSSD、低频、高频、低频/高频)。干预后,患者的VAS评分显著降低,PPT逐渐升高,焦虑减轻。HRV分析显示副交感神经活动增强,交感-迷走神经平衡改善。该病例表明,taVNS可能通过调节自主神经功能有效缓解术后急性疼痛。动态HRV监测为疼痛-自主神经系统相互作用提供了客观证据,支持taVNS作为术后疼痛管理的补充策略。然而,作为一项单病例报告,本研究样本量有限,需要进一步进行大规模随机对照试验来验证这些发现。
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