USE OF THE TRANSCUTANEOUS ELECTRICAL NERVE STIMULATION (TENS) IN CONTROL OF NAUSEA AND VOMITING doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5892/ruvrd.v12i1.1404

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms that cause significant impact on the quality of life cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.The aim of this study was to evaluatethe influence ofTENSin controllingnauseaand vomitingafter chemotherapy.Methods:We performed anexploratory quantitative studyofexperimentalblind randomizedclinical trialwith 83 patientswithantineoplastic drugsclassified asmedium andhigh emetogenic degree. Were divided into twogroups: in one group, classified as intervention, electro stimulationwasperformed with TENSfor 30minuteswith a frequency of10 Hzto500mSpulse widthwithvarying intensity, which was increased according tothe tolerance of thepatientfrom the pointP6. In the othergroup, the control, patientssuffereda simulationof electrical stimulationat zero frequency. Was performed electro stimulationduringchemotherapy session. The symptoms and the amount of administered antiemetics at home were valued in the first two consecutive days of chemotherapy. The intensity of nausea was quantified by visual analog scale. The patient was instructed to write down the number of episodes of vomiting and antiemetic amount administered. Results: The average amount of nausea on the day of chemotherapy, vomiting on the day of chemotherapy and the next day following day and the amount of antiemetic taken at home in those first two days was significantly lower in the group of intervention. Conclusion: TENS showed a complementary effective in controlling nausea and vomiting.Keywords: Cancer. Chemotherapy. TENS. Nausea. Vomiting