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Acupuncture before surgery may keep elderly minds clear

NCT ID NCT03606941

Symptom relief Sponsor: Tianjin Nankai Hospital 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
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This study tested whether giving electroacupuncture 30 minutes before major surgery could lower the chance of postoperative delirium (sudden confusion) in patients aged 65 to 90. Over 1,100 participants were randomly assigned to receive real or sham acupuncture. The goal was to see if this simple, needle-based treatment could protect brain function 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
electroacupuncture
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to lower the risk of confusion after major surgery in older adults.
What could go wrong
The trial is completed but results are not yet widely confirmed. The effect may be small or not better than sham acupuncture.

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

1,100 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Sep 2018

Finished

Oct 2022

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

65 to 90 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: 1. Age≥65 and \<90 years old； 2. Planning to undergo select timed/limited surgery such as gastrointestinal tumor surgery, bile duct surgery and thoracic surgery etc under general anesthesia, and the estimated operation time is more than 2 hours;； 3. Treatment without radiotherapy or chemotherapy prior to surgery； 4. Agree to participate in this study and sign informed consent； Exclusion Criteria: 1. Refuse to participate in this study； 2. Preoperative history of schizophrenia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, or myasthenia gravis； 3. Inability to communicate in the preoperative period to complete preoperative evaluation because of severe dementia, coma, language barrier； 4. Brain injury or neurosurgery； 5. Critical condition (if the ASA grade is greater than or equal to grade IV before surgery); Severe renal impairment (dialysis treatment before surgery); Severe liver function impairment (Child-Pugh level C); Preoperative combined with severe heart disease, LVEF \< 30%; 6. Previous experience of acupoint stimulation therapy or non-insensitive to acupoint stimulation； 7. The attending physician or researcher considers that there are other circumstances (reasons to be noted) that are not suitable for participation in this study.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

delirium Emergence Delirium

As listed by the trial registrant

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

Postoperative delirium

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Electroacupuncture Apparatus

    Tianjin, Tianjin Municipality, 300100, China

More trials for these conditions

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