| Summary: | ABSTRACTBackground: Thoracic surgery includes surgical diseases in the thorax and is dominated by coronary artery surgery. Pain after heart surgery is often most intense three to four days after the surgery. The pain treatment has improved over the last 20-30 years. Despite this, 30-50% report unbearable postoperative pain. Pain can in many cases be relieved by non- pharmacological methods such as Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation (TENS). TENS activates the body's own pain-relieving mechanisms by stimulating peripheral nerves. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore whether TENS has an effect on postoperative pain after thoracic surgery and to describe obstacles and opportunities for TENS as a pain management method. Method: The study has a descriptive design. The method of the study is a quantitative literature review that included 11 articles. The database PubMed was used to find articles. Result: TENS had a positive effect on self-estimated pain and reduced the consumption of analgesics after thoracic surgery. The few articles that included obstacles and opportunities showed that nurses perceived using TENS moderately difficult. Furthermore, they did not show any side effects. Conclusion: TENS as a pain management method after thoracic surgery relieves pain and reduces the consumption of analgesics, which could lead to less suffering for the individual, reduced burden on healthcare and a lower social cost.
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