The ACURE Trial: Acupuncture for Colorectal Recovery

Summary

Purpose:

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can accelerate the recovery of bowel function in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer.

Main Questions to be Answered:

Does electroacupuncture reduce the time to the first bowel movement after surgery compared to standard care or a "sham" (placebo) treatment?

Can electroacupuncture improve overall gastrointestinal tolerance and reduce postoperative discomfort?

Study Design:

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:

Electroacupuncture Group: Receives active electrical stimulation at specific acupuncture points.

Sham Acupuncture Group: Receives superficial needling at non-treatment points with no electrical current to serve as a placebo.

Standard Care Group: Receives standard hospital recovery protocols (ERAS) without acupuncture.

All treatments will consist of four 30-minute sessions: one before surgery and three on the days following the procedure. Researchers will compare the three groups to see if the electroacupuncture group experiences a faster return of digestive function.

Conditions

• Colorectal Neoplasms
• Ileus Postoperative
• Postoperative Complication
• Gastrointestinal Motility

Interventions

DEVICE

Electroacupuncture (EA)

A licensed practitioner will administer electroacupuncture at five bilateral acupoints: ST36 (Zusanli), ST37 (Shangjuxu), SP6 (Sanyinjiao), LI4 (Hegu), and PC6 (Neiguan). Sterile acupuncture needles will be inserted to a depth of 15-30 mm to elicit the "deqi" sensation. An electroacupuncture device will deliver a continuous wave at a frequency of 5 Hz, with intensity adjusted to individual tolerance. Each session lasts 30 minutes. A total of 4 sessions will be performed: one session the day before surgery and three sessions on postoperative days 1, 2, and 3.

DEVICE

Sham Electroacupuncture (SA)

Participants receive superficial needling (2-3 mm depth) at five non-acupoint locations, anatomically distinct from the true acupoints. To maintain blinding, visually identical needles and a sham electroacupuncture device will be used. While electrodes are attached to the needles, the internal wiring of the stimulator is disconnected, ensuring no electrical current is delivered. The treatment timing (30 minutes per session) and overall schedule (4 sessions total) are identical to the Electroacupuncture group.

PROCEDURE

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol

Standardized perioperative care including patient education, preoperative mechanical bowel preparation with oral antibiotics, minimally invasive surgical approach (laparoscopic or robotic), restrictive fluid management, early removal of nasogastric tube and urinary catheter, multimodal analgesia, and early postoperative mobilization and oral intake.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

QUADRUPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-04-01

Primary Completion

2028-03-31

Completion

2029-05-31