Vagus nerve stimulation lowers rebound pain after shoulder block

A randomized, sham-controlled trial in 120 patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery with single-shot interscalene block tested perioperative transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) against sham stimulation. The trial reported rebound pain within 24 hours in 20.0% of taVNS patients versus 43.3% of sham patients, along with lower resting and movement-evoked pain scores, better quality of recovery and sleep, and no significant difference in cumulative sufentanil use; no stimulation-related adverse events were observed.

Most relevant for: Patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery with single-shot interscalene brachial plexus block for regional anesthesia.

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