Postoperative delirium is common in elderly patients following major surgery. This study aimed to assess the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation combined with auricular acupressure on the incidence of postoperative delirium among older patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.
In this single-center, randomized controlled clinical trial, 210 patients aged 65 years or older undergoing major abdominal surgery were randomized to receive either intervention treatment (transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation started at 30 min before anesthesia until the end of the surgery, followed by intermittent auricular acupressure in the first three postoperative days;
All of the 210 randomized patients [median age, 69.5 years, 142 (67.6%) male] completed the trial. The incidence of postoperative delirium was significantly reduced in patients received intervention treatment (19/105 (18.1%) vs. 8/105 (7.6%), difference, –10.5% [95% CI, –1.5% to –19.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.18 to 0.95]; P= 0.023). Patients in the control group had a higher postoperative Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (4
In elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation combined with auricular acupressure reduced the incidence of postoperative in-hospital delirium compared with standard care. A multicenter, randomized clinical trial with a larger sample size is necessary to verify these findings.
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