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NCT Number: NCT06516198

Auricular Acupressure in Prehabilitation

Complementary medicine is recognized for its ability to enhance appetite, increase energy, reduce anxiety, decrease pain, and improve sleep, among many other benefits. Acupuncture is among the most frequent types of complementary medicine practiced in the US, and Medicare currently includes back pain as a reimbursable indication for this therapy. Acupuncture-related therapies may enhance efforts at prehabilitation in candidates for major lung resection.

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Key information

Conditions

Frailty Lobectomy Lung Surgery Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pneumonectomy; Status Prehabilitation Segmentectomy Thoracic Wedge Resection

Age range

50 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, 60637, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Maria Lucia Madariaga

CONTACT

[email protected]

773-702-2500

About this study

The plan is to use a small number of points for auricular acupressure that are selected to improve overall health, both physical and mental. Auricular acupuncture for management of pain using 5 points, informally referred to as "battlefield acupuncture" has demonstrated significant improvement in acute and chronic pain management. Auricular acupressure using a similarly small number of points has demonstrated improvement in chemotherapy-related disturbed sleep, fatigue, and appetite, postpartum depression and fatigue, and chemotherapy related fatigue and depression. It appears that auricular acupressure may be suitable for enhancing prehabilitation interventions for preoperative patients.

Patients will be selected from among individuals being considered for major lung surgery (wedge resection, segmentectomy, lobectomy, bilobectomy, or pneumonectomy; open or minimally invasive) who are expected to pursue a period of prehabilitation of 2 or more weeks prior to surgery.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being considered for major lung surgery
  • Surgery is not scheduled for at least 2 weeks
  • Age ≥ 50 years
  • Able to understand English at a 4th grade level
  • No known contraindications to prehabilitation (strength, endurance, balance exercises)
  • Able to provide informed consent for participation
  • Has an adult care partner who will be available and capable of placing seeds
  • Has access to smart phone for communication and image sharing
  • Underwent frailty screening (given any score)
  • Able to perform spirometry testing in clinic

Exclusion criteria

  • Allergy to Vaccaria seeds
  • Medical condition affecting either ear preventing use of auricular acupressure such as eczema, frostbite, sunburn

Treatment and study plan

auricular acupressure

Other

Seeds will be placed during the clinic visit by the acupuncturist or the research associate according to the group the patient was assigned to. The care partner will observe the placement. A photograph of the seed placement will be taken and given to the care partner and to the patient after the relevant points are labeled by number or letter. The method of pressing is demonstrated for 1 one of the seeds, the care partner practices pressing on 2 other seeds, and the patient practices pressing on the remaining 2 seeds. Pressing consists of applying pressure, gradually increasing the pressure until the patient expresses discomfort, and maintaining that pressure until 2 minutes have passed. After pressing has been performed for each seed, the seeds are removed in clinic prior to clinic discharge.

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of patients enrolled

    Time frame: 2 weeks

    The patient will complete a form after each seed pressing confirming the pressing and the time.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Ease of participation in the study.

    Time frame: End of Study (Week 4)

    The patient will complete a form after each seed pressing confirming the pressing and the time.

Other outcomes

  1. Accuracy of seed placement by a non-professional care partner.

    Time frame: Weekly until Week 4

    The care partner will place the seeds and then send a photo to the research team for correct seed placement verification or correction on a weekly basis. Accuracy of seed placement will be assessed by determining the number of corrections required to achieve seed placement each week.

  2. The change of the intervention prehabilitation results

    Time frame: End of Study (Week 4)

    Compared to the control group, the intervention will demonstrate better increases in endurance, function, mood, breathing capacity, and strength.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Maria Lucia Madariaga, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

7737022500

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Chicago

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Pilot Study of the Utility of Auricular Acupressure in Enhancing Prehabilitation Benefits in Candidates for Thoracic Surgery.

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 23, 2024
Registry last updated
Dec 9, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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