Effects of Perioperative Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Sleep Quality after General Anaesthesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in improving sleep quality after general anaesthesia. A comprehensive search of relevant randomised controlled trials was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed by June 2024, encompassing a total of 12 studies involving 1,076 patients. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrated that TEAS significantly improved postoperative sleep quality in patients. Improvements were observed in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [MD = -1.51, 95% CI (-2.01, -1.01), p <0.001], the Athens Insomnia Scale [MD = -2.15, 95% CI (-2.81, -1.44), p <0.001], and the Insomnia Severity Index [MD = -3.04, 95% CI (-3.48, 2.59), p <0.001]. It was also associated with a higher postoperative recovery quality score [MD = 13.16, 95% CI (4.48, 21.85), p = 0.003 <0.05]. A positive correlation was identified between postoperative nausea and vomiting [RR = 0.49, 95% CІ (0.36, 0.67), p <0.001] and dizziness [RR = 0.49, 95% CІ (0.28, 0.84), p <0.001]. The existing evidence demonstrates that TEAS can effectively enhance patients' sleep quality following general anaesthesia, promote postoperative recovery, and minimise the occurrence of postoperative adverse responses.