Acupuncture for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Surgery — Acu-Pilot  

Surgery Clinical Trial

Official title: Acupuncture for Postoperative Analgesia in Laparoscopic Surgery

Status Completed

Clinical Trial Summary

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.

Clinical Trial Description

Auricular acupuncture is a diagnostic and treatment system associated with a somatotopic representation of the homunculus in the ear. This acupuncture technique is similar, in theory, to reflexology where stimulation of a reflex point in the ear is presumed to relieve symptoms in another part of the body. It is hypothesized that this technique works to decrease pain through the reticular formation, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The increasing use of laparoscopic surgery has significantly diminished the dosing and duration of postoperative opioid consumption compared with open surgery. However, adverse events related with opioid use (nausea & vomiting, pruritus, urinary retention, sedation) may cause delays in hospital discharge and can be especially problematic for certain sub-sets of high risk patients such as those with obstructive sleep apnea or prior histories of addiction. Investigators hypothesize that auricular acupuncture using the Battlefield Acupuncture Protocol will decrease opioid consumption and postoperative pain after laparoscopic surgery with minimal or no adverse events. The primary aim of this study is to assess the effects of the BFA protocol on postoperative analgesic consumption and the secondary aims are to assess pain scores and time to discharge from Post Anesthesia Care Unit following laparoscopic surgery. ;

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Surgery

• NCT number: NCT02940288
• Study type: Interventional
• Source: Emory University
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: September 2016
• Completion date: November 22, 2019