Can zapping three acupoints rewire the brain to ease surgical pain?
NCT ID NCT07819630
First seen Sep 15, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at Beijing Chao Yang Hospital are testing whether transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) changes brain connectivity and reduces pain after abdominal surgery. Ninety adults scheduled for abdominal surgery under general anesthesia will be randomly assigned to receive TEAS at the Neiguan, Hegu, and Zusanli acupoints before surgery or to a control group. The team will record EEG brain activity throughout the procedure and measure pain scores at 1 hour and 24 hours 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
- transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS), a device-based form of electroacupuncture
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could support a non-drug option for easing pain after abdominal surgery and help explain how acupoint stimulation affects the brain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, single-center study of 90 people, so any brain or pain differences may be chance or may not apply to other patients or surgeries. TEAS is generally considered low risk, but it can cause mild skin irritation or discomfort at the electrode sites.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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About 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Oct 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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:1. Age between 18 and 80 years; 2. ASA physical status classification I-II; 3. Scheduled to undergo abdominal surgery under general anesthesia (e.g., gastrectomy, colorectal cancer surgery, etc.); 4. Consent to participate in the study and signing of the informed consent form. \- Exclusion Criteria:1. Impaired cognitive function or language communication disorders; 2. Mental disorders, epilepsy, or abnormal EEG activity; 3. Receipt of acupoint therapy within two weeks prior to surgery; 4. Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or metal implants; 5. Allergy to surface electrodes; 6. Concomitant medical conditions (e.g., dermatological disorders) that may affect treatment or trial administration. \-
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Affiliated Beijing Chaoyang Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100020
RECRUITINGBeijing, China
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