Southern medical journal
-
Southern medical journal · Nov 1988
Review Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical TrialTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for pain control after cholecystectomy: lack of expected benefits.
We did a prospective study of two groups of patients having elective cholecystectomy through a right subcostal incision to evaluate the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Of 64 patients, 30 received TENS postoperatively and 34 did not. Narcotic use in total dose or on a weight basis was not statistically different between the two groups, nor was there any difference in the occurrence of pulmonary or gastrointestinal complications. The use of TENS after this particular operation did not appear to lessen narcotic use or pain-related complications.
-
Clinicians should be on the alert for the possibility of underlying thyrotoxicosis in patients having an affective disturbance. An initial detailed medical history and complete physical examination is essential even in severely agitated, threatening patients. The danger of inappropriate diagnosis and treatment of these patients requires a high index of suspicion in detecting the underlying thyroid disturbance.