Acupuncture needles take on Post-Surgery nausea
NCT ID NCT05975385
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested whether adding acupuncture to standard anti-nausea drugs could better prevent nausea and vomiting after laparoscopic gallbladder removal. 270 adults scheduled for surgery received either acupuncture plus standard drugs or standard drugs alone. The goal was to see if the acupuncture group had less post-operative nausea and vomiting.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- acupuncture (needling at specific points)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to reduce nausea and vomiting after gallbladder surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a completed trial, but the results are not yet widely known. Acupuncture's effect may be small or no better than standard care alone.
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
-
270 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2023
- Finished
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Feb 2026
- 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 64 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patient ages 18-64 2. American Society of Anesthesiology Physical Status I, II or III 3. Patients scheduled to undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Harris Health System Ben Taub Hospital Exclusion Criteria: 1. Scheduled open cholecystectomy - excluded due to increased levels of pain in open procedures 2. Renal dysfunction (Serum Cr \> 1.2) - excluded due to potential altered metabolism of anesthetic and perioperative medications 3. Allergy to any of the standard anesthetic agents 4. Patient inability to properly communicate with investigators (language barrier, dementia, delirium, psychiatric disorder) 5. Patient or surgeon refusal
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Ben Taub Hospital
Houston, Texas, 77030, United States
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