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Ancient acupoint therapy may speed bowel recovery after liver surgery

NCT ID NCT07781176

Prevention Sponsor: Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether stimulating specific acupoints—using herbal patches or mild electrical pulses—can help the bowels recover more quickly after liver cancer surgery. Patients scheduled for partial liver removal will be randomly assigned to one of four groups: herbal patches, electrical stimulation, both combined, or standard nursing care. The main goal is to see if these methods shorten the time to the first passing of gas, a key sign that the gut is waking up after surgery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Herbal acupoint patches and transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation (TAES)
What this could lead to
If effective, acupoint stimulation could offer a drug-free way to speed up bowel recovery after liver cancer surgery, reducing discomfort and hospital stays.
What could go wrong
This is a single-center trial with a modest sample size, and results may not apply broadly. The therapies are generally safe but could cause skin irritation or allergic reactions.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 132 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 75 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer scheduled for initial partial hepatectomy or laparoscopic partial hepatectomy. * Aged between 18 and 75 years old. * Clear consciousness and ability to communicate in writing. * Voluntary participation with signed informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients receiving concurrent chemotherapy. * Patients with adhesive plaster allergy or allergic constitution. * Patients with local skin damage, infection or dermatitis at acupoint sites. * Patients with cognitive dysfunction. * Patients complicated with preoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction or with a history of gastrointestinal surgery. * Patients undergoing associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS). * Patients transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) after surgery. * Patients with implanted cardiac pacemakers.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

hepatocellular carcinoma liver cancer

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Primary liver cancer

How to take part

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  1. The official record

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