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Clinical Trials/NCT05984433
NCT05984433
Withdrawn
Not Applicable

Auricular Acupuncture As Part Of A Multimodal Analgesic Regimen For Reduction Of Opioid Analgesic Use After Surgery To Repair Lower Leg Fractures- A Randomized Controlled Trial

Baylor College of Medicine1 site in 1 country140 target enrollmentDecember 11, 2025

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Auricular acupuncture
Conditions
Pain, Postoperative
Sponsor
Baylor College of Medicine
Enrollment
140
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Total opioid analgesic use for 14 days after surgery
Status
Withdrawn
Last Updated
2 months ago

Overview

Brief Summary

The purpose is to find out if incorporation of an intraoperative electro auricular acupuncture protocol when added to a standard multimodal analgesic regimen for patients undergoing surgery to repair lower leg fracture under spinal anesthesia will help reduce postoperative opioid use.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
December 11, 2025
End Date
December 31, 2026
Last Updated
2 months ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Parallel
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Principal Investigator
Principal Investigator

Jaime Ortiz

Professor of Anesthesiology

Baylor College of Medicine

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Patient ages 18-64
  • American Society of Anesthesiology Physical Status I, II or III
  • Inpatients scheduled to undergo ankle ORIF at Harris Health System Ben Taub Hospital

Exclusion Criteria

  • Renal dysfunction (Serum Cr \> 1.2) - excluded due to potential altered metabolism of anesthetic and perioperative medications
  • Allergy to any of the standard anesthetic agents
  • Patient inability to properly communicate with investigators (language barrier, dementia, delirium, psychiatric disorder)
  • Patient or surgeon refusal

Arms & Interventions

Electroauricular acupuncture

Immediately after Level 2 sedation is achieved, an enhanced auricular trauma protocol (ATP) will be administered on the ear ipsilateral to the operative side at 8 ear points (Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Hippocampus, Prefrontal Cortex, Point Zero, Shen Men, Insula, Vagus) as described by Cheng (2022). The original ATP was described by Helms (2011). Seirin L 0.2 x 30 mm needles will be placed at Hypothalamus and Shen Men points. Seirin J 0.18 x 15 mm needles will be placed at Amygdala, Hippocampus, Prefrontal Cortex, Point Zero, Vagus, and Insula points. Electrostimulation using an ITO ES 130 microstimulator at 30 HZ with Level 4 intensity, will be applied with the positive lead (red) on Hypothalamus and negative lead (black) at Shen Men for 60 minutes. All needles will be removed 1 hour after insertion.

Intervention: Auricular acupuncture

No acupuncture

No acupuncture treatment given

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Total opioid analgesic use for 14 days after surgery

Time Frame: 14 days

Total opioid given in hospital and taken at home, converted to oral morphine equivalents

Secondary Outcomes

  • Incidence of side effects associated with opioid use(14 days)
  • Pain scores(14 days)

Study Sites (1)

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