Abstract:
Objective To investigate the effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on preoperative anxiety and sleep quality in patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy.
Methods A total of 106 patients scheduled for elective laparoscopic myomectomy were randomly divided into active stimulation group (a-taVNS group, n=53) and sham stimulation group (s-taVNS group, n=53). Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI) scores, State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) scores, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-anxiety (HADS-A) scores, Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale-anxiety (APAISa) scores, Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) scores, hemodynamic parameters, and adverse reactions were evaluated before intervention (T0), 30 min after intervention (T1), and the next morning (T2). The degrees of anxiety improvement (ΔSAI=SAIT0-SAIT1; ΔHADS-A=HADS-AT0-HADS-AT1; ΔAPAISa=APAISaT0-APAISaT1) and sleep improvement (ΔAIS=AIST0-AIST2) were calculated, and their correlations were assessed.
Results At T0, there were no significant differences in SAI, HADS-A, and APAISa scores between the two groups (P=0.376, 0.682, 0.144). At T1, there were significant differences in SAI and HADS-A scores between the two groups (adjusted P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in APAISa scores (P=0.141). Compared with the s-taVNS group, the a-taVNS group had higher improvement values of ΔSAI, ΔHADS-A, and ΔAPAISa (P < 0.001). Compared with T0, the AIS score decreased and the incidence of sleep disorders decreased at T2 in the a-taVNS group(P < 0.05). Compared with the s-taVNS group, the AIS score and the proportion of patients with sleep disorders decreased at T2 in the a-taVNS group (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the degree of anxiety improvement and the degree of sleep improvement in the a-taVNS group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant correlation in the s-taVNS group (P>0.05). Compared with T0, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate decreased at T1 in both groups, but there were no significant differences in these parameters between the two groups (P>0.05). During the study period, no adverse events such as tinnitus, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, or facial flushing occurred in either group.
Conclusion The method taVNS can improve preoperative anxiety and reduce the incidence of sleep disorders in patients undergoing laparoscopic myomectomy.