NCT07472764

Auricular Acupressure for Reducing Postoperative Emergence Agitation in Preschool Children

Auricular Acupressure for Reducing Postoperative Emergence Agitation in Preschool Children Undergoing Adenoidectomy: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 110 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Beijing Tongren Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 3 Years – 6 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study investigates whether auricular acupressure can reduce postoperative emergence agitation among preschool children following adenoidectomy.

Detailed description

Emergence agitation is a frequent complication after pediatric head and neck surgery. Despite this, evidence for non-pharmacological preventive strategies is limited. This study explores the efficacy of auricular acupressure, a non-invasive Traditional Chinese Medicine technique, in preventing postoperative agitation among these children.

Conditions

• Emergence Agitation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Auricular acupressure	Auricular acupressureis a non-invasive technique derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), where small seeds (typically from Vaccaria segetalis plants) or magnetic beads are attached to specific points on the outer ear using adhesive tape. The location of acupoints was determined in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) International Standard Terminologies for Auricular Acupuncture, as specified in WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region (ISBN 978-92-9061-248-7).
DEVICE	sham auricular acupressure	For children in the sham stimulation group, we followed the same consultation and auricular point localization procedures, but no Vaccaria seed pressure stimulation was applied. Instead, only an adhesive patch of identical appearance was affixed to the skin.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-04-01
• Primary completion: 2026-06-30
• Completion: 2026-09-30
• First posted: 2026-03-16
• Last updated: 2026-03-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: China