Transcutaneous electrostimulation in the management of postoperative pain: initial report.

A study was undertaken to investigate recent reports concerning the use of transcutaneous electrostimulation (TES) for relief of postoperative pain. Thirty patients undergoing elective herniorrhaphy were subjected to a standard perianaesthetic protocol. The patients were divided into three groups of ten, designated control, sham TES and TES. Postoperative analgesic requirements for each group were compared. The number of intravenous doses of meperidine given to each group in the first three hours after operation was control group 46 doses; sham TES group 38 doses; TES group 10 doses (p less than 0.0005). The number of intramuscular doses of meperidine in the 3-24-hour period was control group 21 doses; sham TES 22 doses; TES group 17 doses (no statistical difference between groups). A subjectively beneficial effect of TES was also established. Despite a number of difficulties encountered during this study, primarily concerned with the subjective nature of pain and its assessment, a useful trend which warrants further investigation has been established in the use of transcutaneous electrostimulation (TES) for postoperative analgesia.