Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on perioperative psychological symptoms in patients undergoing elective thoracoscopic pneumonectomy under general anaesthesia: study protocol for a single-centre, prospective, randomised, double-blind, controlled study.

INTRODUCTION

Perioperative psychological symptoms are prevalent among patients undergoing lung surgery and can contribute to adverse clinical outcomes. Pharmacological interventions for these symptoms have inherent limitations. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive therapeutic approach. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of taVNS in managing perioperative psychological symptoms in patients undergoing elective thoracoscopic pneumonectomy under general anaesthesia.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This single-centre, prospective, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial will enrol 176 patients scheduled for elective thoracoscopic lung resection. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the active taVNS or the sham taVNS groups in a 1:1 ratio. Both groups will receive 30 min active or sham stimulation sessions at four time points: (1) the afternoon prior to surgery, (2) the morning of the surgery, (3) following extubation and (4) the first afternoon postsurgery. The primary outcome is the incidence of perioperative anxiety, assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale. Secondary outcomes include depression scores, stress index, sleep quality, pain scores, incidence of postoperative delirium, fatigue, cough symptoms and postoperative recovery quality, all evaluated through validated assessment tools. Analyses will be conducted using intention-to-treat and per-protocol populations.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University granted approval for the study with approval number: XYFY2024-KL444-01. Dissemination will be via national anaesthesia conferences and publication in the peer-reviewed literature.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2400090542.