Objective   To observe the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative analgesia and recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

  Methods  Sixty patients undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgeries were randomly divided into control group and TEAS group, with 30 patients in each group. Patients of both groups were given general anesthesia, the control group was given basic treatment only, while the TEAS group was given percutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation for 30 min on the basis of basic treatment 4 and 24 h after surgery. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, bowel sounds score, exhaust and defecation time, analgesic drug dosage after operation, adverse reactions and comfort scale (BCS) score were recorded.

  Results  Compared with the control group, the VAS score at the 1st to 2nd day after surgery of the TEAS group was significantly lower, and the time to first flatus was shorter than that in the control group, and the BCS score of the TEAS group was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the bowel sound score between the two groups from the 1st to 2nd day after surgery (P>0.05). The incidence of postoperative adverse reactions in the TEAS group was lower than that in control group, and the amount of postoperative additional analgesics was less than that in control group (P < 0.05).

  Conclusion  Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation can enhance effect of postoperative analgesia, promote recovery of gastrointestinal function, improve the comfort of patients, and have fewer postoperative adverse reactions, which is conducive to the postoperative rehabilitation of patients.