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Postoperative IleusPhase 2NCT00402961

Trial of Acupuncture for Reduction of Post-Colectomy Ileus

A Phase 2 study testing Acupuncture in people with Postoperative Ileus and Colon Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to see whether acupuncture may help patients recover from colon cancer surgery. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Acupuncture
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
90 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Oct 2006to Feb 2013
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Men or women of any ethnicity
  • Age over 18 years (children are not included because colorectal cancer is rare in children).
  • Scheduled to undergo elective resection of biopsy proven colorectal cancer or suspected colorectal cancer

Who cannot join

  • Pre-operative factors:
  • History of major abdominal or pelvic surgery that have caused significant alteration in anatomy and function of the GI tract which may affect the endpoints of this study.
  • Laparoscopic procedures. They tend to result in less postoperative ileus.
  • Administration of epidural anesthetics or epidural opioids: these have previously been shown to affect postoperative GI motility. They made up only 5% of colectomy patients in the investigators' institution.
  • Acupuncture within the last 4 weeks (to exclude any possible residual effect from acupuncture)
  • Contraindications to use of electrical stimulation, including cardiac pacemaker and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
Show all 13Show fewer
  • Prior serious adverse event with acupuncture
  • Intra-operative events (these events alter the postoperative recovery course significantly):
  • Resection incorporating the upper GI tract. Such surgeries are usually more complex, involving more organs and are associated with a more diverse postoperative course, making the study population more heterogeneous.
  • Gross fecal spillage (high complication rate in this setting)
  • Need to leave nasogastric tube in (contaminating the primary endpoint)
  • Decision to give epidural anesthetics or epidural opioids postoperatively (shown previously to change the major endpoints)
  • Complications during surgery requiring a patient to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) directly from the Operating Room or Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) as this also alters the postoperative course significantly. Patients transferred to the floor first will not be excluded. They will be fully registered and randomized. If they deteriorate later during the hospital stay, requiring a transfer to the ICU, they will still be followed.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center 1275 York Avenue

    New York, New York, 10021

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Phase II Randomized Controlled Trial of Acupuncture for Reduction of Post-Colectomy Ileus

The purpose of this study is to see whether acupuncture may help patients recover from colon cancer surgery.

Read the detailed description
  • To determine whether a Phase III trial of acupuncture for postoperative recovery after colorectal surgery is warranted as defined by evidence of reduction of postoperative ileus when compared to sham acupuncture.
  • To explore whether acupuncture reduces the length of hospital stay more than sham acupuncture
  • To explore whether acupuncture improves patient satisfaction with the hospital experience by ameliorating other postoperative symptoms such as pain and nausea and vomiting.
  • To determine the feasibility of a Phase III trial in terms of sample size, accrual rate, attrition rate and data completion.

Postoperative ileus contributes to prolonged hospital stay, readmission and postoperative morbidities in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Reduction of postoperative ileus is important in postoperative recovery. Postoperative pain may require opioids, which further reduce gastrointestinal (GI) motility. Postoperative nausea and vomiting hamper the resumption of oral intake. Together, these three common postoperative problems contribute to patient discomfort, delayed discharge and increased overall hospitalization costs, despite current multi-modal management options. Any safe and effective therapy in addition to current standard of care would be welcomed by patients, surgeons and hospitals.

Acupuncture is a complementary medicine modality shown to reduce postoperative pain, suppress nausea and vomiting, and promote GI motility. It is associated with few adverse events. Here we propose a randomized, sham controlled phase II study to evaluate acupuncture, in addition to conventional therapy, for its safety and effectiveness in improving postoperative recovery of colorectal cancer patients undergoing segmental or subtotal colectomy. The overall objective of this developmental project is to determine whether a more extended research project is warranted.

The specific aims are:

  • To determine whether a Phase III trial of acupuncture for postoperative recovery after colorectal surgery is warranted as defined by evidence for a reduction of postoperative ileus when compared to sham acupuncture. Hypothesis: acupuncture promotes upper and lower GI motility in patients experiencing postoperative ileus after colectomy more than sham acupuncture.
  • To explore whether acupuncture improves patient satisfaction with the hospital experience by ameliorating other postoperative symptoms such as pain and nausea and vomiting. Hypothesis 2a: acupuncture reduces postoperative pain more than placebo in colectomy patients; 2b: acupuncture reduces postoperative nausea and vomiting more than placebo in colectomy patients.
  • To determine the feasibility of a phase III trial in terms of sample size, accrual rate, attrition rate and data completion. Hypothesis 3: a phase III study of acupuncture in the treatment of post-colectomy ileus in cancer patients is feasible.
Being tested
Acupuncture, Sham Acupuncture
Keywords
Acupuncture, Post-Colectomy Ileus, Abdominal Surgery, Colon Surgery
Medical subject headings
Colonic Neoplasms, Pain, Postoperative, Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • AcupunctureOther

    Acupuncture will be given twice daily for a total of three days (Day 1 to 3). The two acupuncture sessions will be separated by at least 4 hours, preferably given in the morning and late afternoon. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes, starting from the moment the first needle is inserted and ending the moment the first needle is removed. The last treatment will be given at the end of Day 3 or day of discharge.

  • Sham AcupunctureOther

    Sham Acupuncture involves the acupuncturist tapping a plastic guiding tube on the surface of the true points to produce some discernible sensation and then immediately tapping a real needle sideways parallel to the skin surface without needle insertion. It will be given twice daily for a total of three days (Day 1 to 3). The two acupuncture sessions will be separated by at least 4 hours, preferably given in the morning and late afternoon. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes, starting from the moment the first needle is inserted and ending the moment the first needle is removed. The last treatment will be given at the end of Day 3 or day of discharge,

Study groups in NCT00402961
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1Active comparatorAcupuncture is the insertion of needles at certain body points.
Receives: Other: Acupuncture
2Sham comparatorsham acupuncture
Receives: Other: Sham Acupuncture

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. To determine whether a Phase III trial of acupuncture for postoperative recovery after colorectal surgery is warranted as defined by evidence of reduction of postoperative ileus when compared to sham acupuncture

    Measured: end of study

Secondary outcomes (7)
  1. To explore whether acupuncture improves patient satisfaction with the hospital experience by ameliorating other postoperative symptoms such as pain and nausea and vomiting

    Measured: daily pain score, opioids consumption (total dose of morphine equivalent during hospitalization and average dose per day) severity of nausea as defined by number of request for PRNantiemetics, and number of emetic episodes during hospital stay.

  2. To determine the feasibility of a Phase III trial in terms of sample size, accrual rate, attrition rate and data completion

    Measured: end of study

  3. GI-2, (also representing time to recovery of gastrointestinal [GI] function)

    Measured: patient first tolerated solid food,and time patient first passed a bowel movement

  4. GI contractions measured with a multifunctional stethoscope

    Measured: duration of two minute before and immediately after each true or sham acupuncture treatment.

  5. Daily pain score

    Measured: daily during hospitalization

  6. Opioid consumption (total dose of morphine equivalent during hospitalization and average dose per day)

    Measured: daily pain score, opioids consumption (total dose of morphine equivalent during hospitalization and average dose per day) severity of nausea as defined by number of request for PRNantiemetics, and number of emetic episodes during hospital stay.

  7. Number of emetic episodes during hospital stay

    Measured: assement daily

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Nov 2006 (estimated)
  2. Study startOct 2006
  3. Primary completionFeb 2013
  4. Study completionFeb 2013

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
90 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00402961
Sponsor's protocol ID
06-145
Status last verified
Oct 2015
First submitted
22 Nov 2006
Last updated
12 Oct 2015
Results posted
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Acupuncture in people with Postoperative Ileus and Colon Cancer, run by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 13 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Oct 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

To determine whether a Phase III trial of acupuncture for postoperative recovery after colorectal surgery is warranted as defined by evidence of reduction of postoperative ileus when compared to sham acupuncture (time frame: end of study). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Oct 2015.

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