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Electroacupuncture at ST36 for Reducing Postoperative Inflammation After Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass

NCT07795112 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 140

Last updated 2026-08-31

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass can trigger a marked systemic inflammatory response and may contribute to postoperative organ dysfunction and delayed recovery. Electroacupuncture at the Zusanli acupoint (ST36) may regulate inflammatory responses, but its clinical effects in patients undergoing cardiac surgery remain uncertain.

This prospective, randomized, parallel-group study will enroll 140 adults undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. After surgery and admission to the intensive care unit, participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either bilateral ST36 electroacupuncture or a control procedure involving the same acupoint localization, skin disinfection, needle insertion, and needle retention without electrical stimulation. Both groups will receive standard postoperative care. The intervention will be administered twice for 30 minutes per session.

The primary outcomes are C-reactive protein levels and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores on postoperative day 2. Secondary outcomes include the duration of vasoactive drug use, incidence and severity of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of intensive care unit and hospital stay, and perioperative inflammatory markers. The study will evaluate whether ST36 electroacupuncture can reduce postoperative inflammation and organ injury and improve recovery after cardiac surgery.

Conditions

  • Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures
  • Postoperative Complications (Cardiopulmonary)

Interventions

OTHER

Electroacupuncture at Bilateral ST36

Participants assigned to the experimental group will receive electroacupuncture at bilateral Zusanli (ST36) after cardiac surgery and admission to the intensive care unit. Electrical stimulation will be applied through acupuncture needles placed at bilateral ST36. The intervention will be administered twice, with each session lasting 30 minutes, in addition to standard postoperative treatment and nursing care.

OTHER

Acupuncture Without Electrical Stimulation at Bilateral ST36

Participants assigned to the control group will receive the same bilateral ST36 acupoint localization, skin disinfection, needle insertion, and needle retention procedures as the experimental group, but without electrical stimulation. The control procedure will be administered twice, with each session lasting 30 minutes, in addition to standard postoperative treatment and nursing care.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-09-01
Primary Completion
2027-02-01
Completion
2027-05-01

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07795112 on ClinicalTrials.gov