Comparison of the Effect of Chlordiazepoxide and Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation on Blood Potassium Loss Due to Preoperative Anxiety

Purpose: This study evaluated and compared the effect of chlordiazepoxide and transcranial alternating cur-rent stimulation (tACS) on changes in blood potassium levels caused by preoperative anxiety.Design: This randomized, double-blind placebo control study was performed on 100 patients undergoing sur-gery with the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status (ASA I) who went through surgery for the first time.Methods: Patients were classified into four groups of real or sham tACS, chlordiazepoxide, and placebo. The Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety information Scale (APAIS) and serum potassium levels were used to collect data. The results were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, independent t test, Pearson correlation, and x2 test.Findings: There was no baseline difference between the groups. A significant difference was found between real tACS and the chlordiazepoxide group in plasma potassium level (P = .017). Conclusions: The results showed that real tACS was more effective than chlordiazepoxide in preventing the decrease of plasma potassium level in the preoperative period. Assessing the efficacy of the other types of brain electrical interventions is suggested for future studies.(c) 2022 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.