Study Summary

Seventy patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery were randomized to receive transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) (n=35) or sham stimulation (n=35). The primary outcome of interest was total sufentanil consumption within 24 hours postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included sufentanil consumption at 24–48 hours, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain scores at multiple postoperative time points (2, 4, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours), rescue analgesia use, quality of recovery (QoR-15) scores at 24, 48, and 72 hours, hemodynamic parameters, hospital length of stay, and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed up to 72 hours postoperatively. Overall, the results of the study revealed significantly lower opioid consumption, reduced pain scores, and improved recovery quality in the taVNS group compared with sham (all P<0.05). These findings suggest taVNS is an effective adjunct nonpharmacologic analgesic strategy following arthroscopic shoulder surgery.