Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Post-Cesarean Pain Control

Purpose

Purpose of study is to evaluate the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for post-operative pain control after a cesarean delivery compared to placebo and no TENS.

Conditions

  • Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation
  • Analgesia
  • Cesarean Section

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
Female
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Women undergoing scheduled or non-urgent cesarean section

Exclusion Criteria

  • Non-English speaking - Subjects with a history of chronic pain or chronic opioid use - Pre-operative use of opioids for more than 1 week in the preceding 6 months - Previous exposure to the TENS unit - Women with an allergy or contraindication to narcotics/NSAIDs/acetaminophen - Subjects who had a midline vertical skin incision during this operation - Subjects who did not receive intrathecal opioids at the time of their cesarean delivery - Adhesive allergies - Subjects with a pacemaker (due to the unknown effects of the TENS on the electrical activity of the heart) - Intraoperative general anesthesia - Inability to consent to the study - Postpartum tubal ligation

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Participants are randomized to one of three groups in parallel for the duration of the study
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Active Comparator
Active TENS Unit
  • Device: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit
    Patients will be randomized to active TENS unit, placebo TENS unit, or no TENS unit
Placebo Comparator
Placebo TENS Unit
  • Device: Placebo transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit
    Patients will be randomized to active TENS unit, placebo TENS unit, or no TENS unit
No Intervention
No TENS Unit

Recruiting Locations

Nicole Kurata
Honolulu, Hawaii 96826
Contact:
Nicole Kurata
808-577-3344
nkurata@hawaii.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Hawaii Pacific Health

Study Contact

Nicole Kurata
(808)577-3344
nkurata@hawaii.edu