Auriculotherapy in the Treatment of Pre-Operative Anxiety

Running, not enrolling · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Anxiety Preoperative

In brief

The goal of this clinical trial is to use the validated PROMIS Emotional Distress - Anxiety - Short Form 8a and PROMIS Emotional Distress-Depression-Short Form pre-and post-intervention to establish a superior correlation between the auriculotherapy treatment and the reduction of perioperative anxiety. Subject population will include those having a partial or total nephrectomy for cancer. Drawing the role that auriculotherapy may play in reducing perioperative anxiety related requirement after surgery may also help in reducing the risk of opioid use disorders (OUD) since anxiety has been found to be a major risk factor for OUD in surgical patients. Therefore, this trial will also examine the effect of the auriculotherapy intervention in reducing opioid requirement after surgery.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT04836936
Run by: Jacques E. Chelly
People needed: 60
Starts: 2021-04-13
Expected to finish: 2026-08-30
Last updated by the study team: 2026-07-24

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

Greater than 18 years of age
Scheduled to undergo partial or full elective nephrectomy
Subject is willing and able to provide informed consent
Anxiety score ≥ 19 and ≤ 29 on the PROMIS Emotional Distress-Anxiety-Short Form 8a.

You may not qualify if…

Opioid dependence, based on the DSM definition of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)
Chronic pain condition where daily opioid use is needed
History of fibromyalgia
Anatomical malformation of ear (genetic or trauma-induced)
Vasculopathy of ear
Raynaud's disease
Patient Refusal

Where it is running

UPMC Shadyside Hospital — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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