Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and postoperative use of narcotic analgesics.

Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has been reported to reduce the use of narcotic analgesic medication for pain relief in the postoperative period. This study compares the use of narcotic analgesics and the occurrence of postoperative complications in 205 patients who underwent gastric bypass surgery for control of obesity. Seventy-four patients used TENS for postoperative pain relief. The control group comprised 131 patients who did not use TENS. There were no statistically significant differences in the use of narcotic analgesic medication and the occurrence of postoperative complications between the experimental group and the control group.