Table 1.

Schedule of trial enrolment, interventions and assessments

Study periods	Enrolment (screening)	Allocation (baseline)	Intervention period			Follow-up
	Admission	Day 0	PED 3	PED 2	PED 1	VATS Day	POD 1	POD 2
Enrolment
Eligibility screen	√
Informed consent	√
Randomisation		√
Intervention
TEAS			√	√	√
STEAS			√	√	√
Assessments
GAD-7	√		√		√
5-HT			√		√
NE			√		√
GABA			√		√
Intraoperative anaesthetic consumption						√
Chest tube removal time							√	√
VAS							√	√
Length of postoperative hospital stay							√	√
Blinding			√	√	√
Safety variables
Skin reaction assessment			√	√	√	√	√	√
Mood disturbance assessment			√	√	√	√	√	√
Adverse events			√	√	√	√	√	√

GABA, gamma-aminobutyric acid; GAD-7, Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale-7; 5-HT, 5-hydroxytryptamine; NE, norepinephrine; PED, preoperative day; POD, postoperative day; STEAS, sham TEAS; TEAS, transcutaneous electrical acupoints stimulation; VAS, Visual Analogue Scale.