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Ear prick therapy may slash Pre-Surgery jitters and opioid use

NCT ID NCT04836936

Symptom relief Sponsor: Jacques E. Chelly Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
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 This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether a special ear acupuncture technique, called auriculotherapy, can reduce anxiety in patients awaiting kidney surgery. Sixty adults scheduled for a nephrectomy will receive either a real or placebo version of the treatment. Researchers will measure anxiety levels and how much opioid pain medicine patients need 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
auriculotherapy (ear acupuncture using a cryopuncture device with nitrogen gas)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a drug-free way to ease pre-surgery anxiety and reduce the need for opioids after surgery.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The placebo group also gets a device, so the real effect may be small.

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 60 people

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

Started

Apr 2021

Expected to finish

Aug 2026

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 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * Greater than 18 years of age * Scheduled to undergo partial or full elective nephrectomy * Subject is willing and able to provide informed consent * Anxiety score ≥ 19 and ≤ 29 on the PROMIS Emotional Distress-Anxiety-Short Form 8a. Exclusion Criteria: * Opioid dependence, based on the DSM definition of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) * Chronic pain condition where daily opioid use is needed * History of fibromyalgia * Anatomical malformation of ear (genetic or trauma-induced) * Vasculopathy of ear * Raynaud's disease * Patient Refusal

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

renal cell carcinoma

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Anxiety, preoperative

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • UPMC Shadyside Hospital

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15232, United States

More trials for these conditions

Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.