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NCT Number: NCT04260867

Essential Oils for Electrocautery

The purpose of this study is to assess whether essential oil aromatherapy could improve or eliminate the smell of burnt flesh from electrocautery and subsequently mitigate patient anxiety and discomfort during dermatologic skin surgery.

This is a randomized clinical trial. Approximately 210 electrocautery participants will be randomized to receive sham control/no aromatherapy or aromatherapy. Patients will be asked to complete a questionnaire after completion of the procedure to assess their experience. This study was a pilot study designed to determine the feasibility of this procedure.

Subjects currently living in the Chicago metropolitan area and meet inclusion/exclusion criteria will be invited and considered for enrollment.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Anxiety Anxiety Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

19 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Northwestern University Department of Dermatology

Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • >18 years of age
  • Receiving same day cutaneous surgical procedure that requires electrocautery per protocol
  • In good general health as assessed by the investigator
  • Participants must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent prior to registration on study

Exclusion criteria

  • Surgery site incompatible with the patient holding a handheld aromatherapy device (physician discretion)
  • Subject unwilling to sign an IRB approved consent form
  • Participants who are unable to communicate or cooperate with the investigator due to language problems, poor mental development, or impaired cerebral function are not eligible

Treatment and study plan

Essential Oil

Other

Those randomized to the treatment group will have containers filled with the essential oil of their choice.

No Essential Oil

Other

Those randomized to the control group will then be given empty single-use handheld aromatherapy containers containing no essential oil.

Primary outcomes

  1. Self-reported perceptions of cautery smell on a 4-point likert scale

    Time frame: Immediately after surgery

    This is a patient-reported questionnaire about perceptions of smell.

  2. Patient reported anxiety State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6)

    Time frame: Immediately after surgery

    Patient perioperative anxiety will be reported on the 6-item shortform of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) directly after procedure

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Northwestern University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Utility of Aromatherapy in Reducing Burnt Flesh Smell, Decreasing Intraoperative Anxiety, and Improving the Patient's Overall Experience During Cutaneous Surgical Procedures: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2027
First posted
Feb 7, 2020
Registry last updated
Jul 1, 2026

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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