TEAS Timing for Gastrectomy Recovery (TEAS-TIME Trial)

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) works to help people recover faster after laparoscopic surgery for stomach cancer. TEAS is a treatment that uses small electrical pulses through sticky pads on the skin. It does not use needles.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does TEAS help people pass gas (a sign that the digestive system is waking up) sooner after surgery?

Does TEAS help lower pain after surgery?

Does TEAS reduce the need for extra pain medication after surgery?

Researchers will compare three groups to see if TEAS works better when given before, during, and after surgery compared with only after surgery.

Group 1 receives TEAS before, during, and after surgery.

Group 2 receives a sham (inactive) treatment before and during surgery, and real TEAS after surgery.

Group 3 receives sham treatment at all time points.

All participants will receive the same standard pain relief and recovery care after surgery.

Participants will:

Be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of the three groups

Receive TEAS or sham treatment for 30 minutes before surgery, during surgery, and for 30 minutes each day on the first 3 days after surgery

Rate their pain on a 0-10 scale at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery

Complete quality-of-life questionnaires before surgery, on day 4 after surgery, and 30 days after surgery

Have a follow-up visit or phone call 30 days after leaving the hospital

This study includes 300 adults aged 18 to 80 years who are scheduled to have laparoscopic surgery for stomach cancer at 13 hospitals in Shandong Province, China.