Ear zaps may cut opioid need after surgery
NCT ID NCT07633444
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests if a safe, non-invasive nerve stimulation on the ear can lower pain and the need for strong painkillers after abdominal or urologic surgery. 174 adults will receive either real stimulation at different frequencies or a sham (fake) treatment before and after surgery. Researchers will measure pain, opioid use, nausea, and recovery quality to see if this approach works.
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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 174 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jun 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
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 59 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: * Adults aged 18 to 59 years. * Undergoing elective abdominal or urologic surgery. * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III. * Able and willing to provide written informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * History of neurological disorders. * History of psychiatric disorders. * Inability to understand study procedures. * Pregnancy. * Cognitive impairment. * Communication difficulties that interfere with study assessments. * Auricular dermatitis or skin lesions at the stimulation site. * Pre-existing cardiac arrhythmia. * Chronic opioid use. * Implanted electronic medical devices, including pacemakers.
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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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Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia (HUPES-UFBA)
RECRUITINGSalvador, Estado de Bahia, 40170-110, Brazil
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