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Enrolling by invitation NCT06978335

Acupoint Stimulation Improves Postoperative Wound Pain

No phase Interventional Abdominal Surgeries Pain Acupuncture Points

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Acupoint Stimulation, Sham Acupoint Stimulation.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Abdominal Surgeries, Pain, Acupuncture Points. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Taiwan
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

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Official title

Acupoint Stimulation Intervention Improves Postoperative Wound Pain and Mobility in Patients With Abdominal Surgery

Overview

Postoperative pain remains one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by surgical patients. Poorly managed postoperative pain can impede recovery, reduce patient willingness to mobilize, increase the risk of complications, and negatively affect overall quality of life. Currently, opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the primary pharmacological strategies for managing postoperative pain. However, these medications often carry the risk of adverse effects and may not adequately address all aspects of patient comfort and recovery. In response to this challenge, this study aims to evaluate the effects of a non-pharmacological, non-invasive intervention-acupoint stimulation-on postoperative wound pain and mobilization in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Ultimately, this study seeks to contribute to the development of more diversified and patient-centered pain management strategies, with the expectation that the integration of Chinese and Western medicine will lead to improved patient care and enhanced postoperative recovery.

Interventions

  • Other Acupoint Stimulation
    This intervention involves acupoint stimulation and auricular acupressure. Stimulation of selected body acupoints is administered by trained personnel following a standardized protocol. The intervention is provided once daily for three consecutive days, beginning post-surgery. For auricular acupressure, additional auricular points are chosen based on the involved abdominal organ and its corresponding viscera-meridian locations on the auricle. Vaccaria seeds are applied to the selected points wit
  • Other Sham Acupoint Stimulation
    Participants in this group will receive a sham acupoint stimulation procedure. Acupoint stimulation will be using identical procedures to the experimental group, without applying pressure. No stimulation or manipulation was performed. The frequency and timing of the sham intervention matched that of the experimental group.

Primary outcome measures

  • Pain Intensity Measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) [Time frame: At 1, 4, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours post-surgery]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
  • Pain Impact Assessed by Brief Pain Inventory - Taiwan Version (BPI-Taiwan) [Time frame: On postoperative Day 3]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Surgical wound length ≥ 10 cm
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I to III
  • Receiving intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV PCA)
  • Clear consciousness and ability to communicate
  • Willingness to participate and provide informed consent

Exclusion criteria

  • Presence of arrhythmia
  • Implanted artificial cardiac pacemaker
  • Cutaneous lesions at the acupoint or auricular application sites
  • History of chronic pain or abdominal surgery within the past 6 months
  • Non-ambulatory status prior to surgery

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: No

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single blind
Primary purpose
Supportive care

Study locations

Taiwan · 1 center
  • Cheng Hsin General Hospital — Taipei

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06978335 · (1090)113A-20

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗