NCT06516198

Auricular Acupressure in Prehabilitation

A Pilot Study of the Utility of Auricular Acupressure in Enhancing Prehabilitation Benefits in Candidates for Thoracic Surgery.

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Chicago · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Complementary medicine is recognized for its ability to enhance appetite, increase energy, reduce anxiety, decrease pain, and improve sleep, among many other benefits. Acupuncture is among the most frequent types of complementary medicine practiced in the US, and Medicare currently includes back pain as a reimbursable indication for this therapy. Acupuncture-related therapies may enhance efforts at prehabilitation in candidates for major lung resection.

Detailed description

The plan is to use a small number of points for auricular acupressure that are selected to improve overall health, both physical and mental. Auricular acupuncture for management of pain using 5 points, informally referred to as "battlefield acupuncture" has demonstrated significant improvement in acute and chronic pain management. Auricular acupressure using a similarly small number of points has demonstrated improvement in chemotherapy-related disturbed sleep, fatigue, and appetite, postpartum depression and fatigue, and chemotherapy related fatigue and depression. It appears that auricular acupressure may be suitable for enhancing prehabilitation interventions for preoperative patients. Patients will be selected from among individuals being considered for major lung surgery (wedge resection, segmentectomy, lobectomy, bilobectomy, or pneumonectomy; open or minimally invasive) who are expected to pursue a period of prehabilitation of 2 or more weeks prior to surgery.

Conditions

• Frailty
• Thoracic
• Prehabilitation
• Lung Surgery
• Wedge Resection
• Segmentectomy
• Lobectomy
• Pneumonectomy; Status

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Auricular Acupressure	Seeds will be placed during the clinic visit by the acupuncturist or the research associate according to the group the patient was assigned to. The care partner will observe the placement. A photograph of the seed placement will be taken and given to the care partner and to the patient after the relevant points are labeled by number or letter. The method of pressing is demonstrated for 1 one of the seeds, the care partner practices pressing on 2 other seeds, and the patient practices pressing on the remaining 2 seeds. Pressing consists of applying pressure, gradually increasing the pressure until the patient expresses discomfort, and maintaining that pressure until 2 minutes have passed. After pressing has been performed for each seed, the seeds are removed in clinic prior to clinic discharge.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-07-21
• Primary completion: 2027-06-20
• Completion: 2027-06-20
• First posted: 2024-07-23
• Last updated: 2025-12-09

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States