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

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Other
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

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.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 50
Healthy Volunteers: f
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• 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

Locations
United States
Illinois
University of Chicago
RECRUITING
Chicago
Contact Information
Primary
Maria Lucia Madariaga, MD
mlmadariaga@bsd.uchicago.edu
7737022500
Time Frame
Start Date: 2025-07-21
Estimated Completion Date: 2027-06-20
Participants
Target number of participants: 40
Treatments
Experimental: Experimental Group
A random number card will be drawn in sequence from a box. Even numbered cards will assign the patient to the experimental group, odd numbered cards will assign the patient to the control group.~o Intervention group seed points:~1. Shen Men (anxiety, depression, stress, pain)~2. Point 0 (homeostasis, energy, mood)~3. Endocrine (hormonal homeostasis)~4. Subcortex (insomnia, anxiety, pain, inflammation)~5. Autonomic (autonomic balance, pain)
Sham_comparator: Control Group
A random number card will be drawn in sequence from a box. Even numbered cards will assign the patient to the experimental group, odd numbered cards will assign the patient to the control group.~o Control group sham seed points:~1. Inside edge, center of tragus~2. Helix midway between apex and tubercle~3. Helix 1 cm anterior to apex~4. 5 mm anterior to Shen Men~5. Covered, 5 mm anterior and superior to endocrine~For the sham intervention (Sham Type II, same intervention with seeding and intermittent pressing) the seeds are placed at nonacupressure points for the control group.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Mastectomy
Sponsors
Leads: University of Chicago

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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