Gothenburg Pain Lab is a multidisciplinary, clinical research group. Our aim is to improve pain relief in acute, chronic and cancer-related pain conditions through innovative, person-centred, and opioid-sparing treatments, with special focus on neuromodulation techniques (TENS, spinal cord stimulation) and opioid free anaesthesia and intensive care. By combining RCTs with qualitative methods, we create future pain care together with the patients.
Our Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital/Östra is center of excellence for TENS for postoperative pain since 2017 and we have been conducting studies on TENS for postoperative pain since 2006.
On this page we have collected our published material on opioid-free anesthesia and TENS for treatment of postoperative pain.
Publications
Theses
Salwan Diwan, University of Gothenburg 2026
Rethinking Facilitation – Pragmatic Nudging to Facilitate Adoption of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Postoperative Care
2026
Cecilia Ögren, University of Gothenburg 2025
High-Frequency, High-Intensity Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Postoperative Pain – Evaluating a new treatment regime and a clinical bedside prediction test in outpatient surgery
2025
Alexander Olausson, University of Gothenburg 2024
Prerequisites and effects of an opioid-free anaesthesia pathway in patients undergoing bariatric surgery
2024
Original Articles
Diwan S, Andréll P, Wolf A, Jildenstål P. Passive and Asynchronous Nudging to Support Implementation: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Sustaining TENS Use in Postoperative Care. Accepted for publication 2026 in BMC Health Services Research.
2026
Diwan S, Forsberg A, Andréll P, Wolf A, Jildenstål P. Respecting Autonomy while Nudging: A Phenomenological Study of TENS Use in Post-Anesthesia Care. J Perianesth Nurs. 2026 Jun 20:S1089-9472(26)00168-1. Online ahead of print.
2026
Diwan S, Olausson A, Andréll P, Wolf A, Jildenstål P. Opioid-Free Anesthesia in Perioperative Care: Findings from a Swedish Web-Based Survey. Pain Res Manag. 2025:6677904.
2025
Angelini E, Josefsson C, Ögren C, Andréll, P, Wolf A, Ringdal M. Patients´ experiences of TENS as a postoperative pain relief method in the post-anesthesia care unit after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a qualitative study. BMC Anesthesiol 2025;25:18.
2025
Olausson A, Jildenstål P, Andréll P, Angelini E, Stenberg E, Wallenius V, Öhrström H, Thörn S-E, Wolf A. Effects of an opioid-free care pathway versus opioid-based standard care on postoperative pain and postoperative quality of recovery after laparoscopic bariatric surgery: A multicentre randomised controlled trial. Eur J Anestesiol 2025;42:714-726.
2025
Diwan S, Olausson A, Andréll P, Wolf A, Jildenstål P. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Swedish Perioperative Care – A Swedish web-based survey. Scand J Pain. 2025; 25:20240078.
2025
Ögren C, Varkey E, Wolf A, Larsson C, Ringdal M, Andréll P. High-frequency, high-intensity TENS compared to standard treatment with opioids for postoperative pain relief after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A multicentre randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pain. 2024;28:1772-178
2024
Olausson A, Angelini A, Heckemann B, Andréll P, Jildenstål P, Thörn S-E, Wolf A. Patients’ perioperative experiences of an opioid-free versus opioid-based care pathway for laparoscopic bariatric surgery: A qualitative study. Int J Nurs Stud Adv. 2024:6:100201
2024
Platon B, Thörn S, Mannheimer C, Andréll P. Effects of high frequency, high intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation versus intravenous opioids for pain relief after hysteroscopy – a randomized controlled study. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2020;63:660-669.
2020
Platon B, Mannheimer C, Andréll P. Pain treatment after gynaecologic laparoscopic surgery – effects of high frequency, high intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation versus intravenous opioids. KJA. 2018;71:149-156.
2018
Platon B, Andréll P, Raner C, Rudolph M, Dvoretsky A, Mannheimer C. High-frequency, high-intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation as treatment of pain after surgical abortion. Pain 2010;148:114-9.
2010
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Piasecki A, Ögren C, Thörn S-E, Olausson A, Svensson CJ, Wolf A, Platon B, Andréll P. High-frequency, high-intensity transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation compared with opioids for pain relief after gynecological surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Pain. 2023;24: 20230068.
2023
Olausson A, Svensson CJ, Andréll P, Jildenstål P, Thörn S-E, Wolf A. Total opioid-free general anaesthesia can improve post-operative outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2022;66170-185.
2022
Editorials etc.
Andréll P, Wolf A. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation – an important tool in person-centered multimodal analgesia. Scand J Pain 2025; 25: 20250047.
2025
Online Education
The online education ”TENS för postoperativ smärta, komplement till ”Hands-On” utbildning” is available in Swedish at Lärportalen, Västra Götalandsregionen. Here you can access the videos in Swedish.
