Acupuncture for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Surgery

Completed · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Surgery

In brief

Auricular (ear) acupuncture treatment involves placing filiform needles in the ears at particular locations called acupoints. Although the mechanism for acupuncture analgesia is still unclear, it is believed ear acupoints work like reflex points that once stimulated with penetration by a needle have the ability to relieve pain in a different part of the body. The purpose of this study is to explore the safety and effects of auricular acupuncture therapy on postoperative analgesic consumption and pain scores immediately following laparoscopic surgery.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02940288

Run by

Emory University

People needed

20

Starts

2016-09-01

Expected to finish

2019-11-22

Last updated by the study team

2021-11-30

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 70. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for cholecystectomy, hysterectomy or hernia repair
• Patients naïve to acupuncture

You may not qualify if…

• Pregnancy
• Bleeding disorder
• Anticoagulant medications
• Involuntary movement disorders/Seizure disorders
• Local auricular infection, loss of skin integrity or significant deformation
• History of opioid medication use or dependence
• Hemodynamic or immunocompromised status
• History of syncope with venipuncture
• Unable to understand the consent form or how to use the VAS-100
• Prosthetic cardiac valves
• Patients will be withdrawn from the study if surgery time exceeds 90 minutes or the laparoscopic procedure turned into an open surgery

Where it is running

• Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center — Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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