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DeliriumNCT01362270

Acupuncture for Sedation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

A study testing Verum Acupuncture in people with Delirium and Respiratory Depression, run by Oregon Health and Science University 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

BACKGROUND Many patients in the trauma intensive care unit (TICU) require mechanical ventilation and sedation or anxiolysis. Mechanical ventilation means that a machine is helping a patient breathe if he can't breathe on his own. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Delirium, Respiratory Depression, Overmedication
What is being tested?
Verum Acupuncture
Type of treatment
Medical device
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
15 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jul 2011to Jul 2015
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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

  • Trauma patient ≥ 18 years admitted to the Trauma ICU
  • Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 4
  • Mechanically ventilated < 24 hours with anticipated need > 24 hours

Who cannot join

  • Inability to obtain consent from patient or designee
  • Receiving immunosuppressive therapy
  • Receiving therapeutic anticoagulant therapy
  • History of bleeding disorder, INR > 1.5, PTT > 65, PLT < 20K
  • Pregnancy
  • Three (3) or more inaccessible acupoints
Show all 10Show fewer
  • Head injury with elevated intracranial pressure or requiring operation
  • Patients with midline abdominal incision
  • Non-english speaking
  • Receipt of dexmedetomidine prior to or during study period

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)

    Portland, Oregon, 97239

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Acupuncture for Sedation in the Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND Many patients in the trauma intensive care unit (TICU) require mechanical ventilation and sedation or anxiolysis. Mechanical ventilation means that a machine is helping a patient breathe if he can't breathe on his own. Because of the mechanical ventilation, these patients also require some medication to help keep them calm. These are called sedatives or anxiolytics.

The purpose of this study is to see if acupuncture can lower the amount of sedation and anxiolysis needed by a subject during mechanical ventilation in the TICU. Acupuncture is a medical procedure. Hair-thin sterile needles are inserted at specific points on the body.

Read more

PROCEDURES Some subjects will get acupuncture and others will get 'fake' acupuncture. By using 'fake' acupuncture, no one other than the acupuncturists will know which group a subject is in. Subjects and the team do not get to pick which subject is in which group. Instead, the groups are picked randomly. Subjects will get real or fake acupuncture twice a day for five days.

Standard of care - Both groups will receive the standard of care while in the study. They will be mechanically ventilated and given sedatives and analgesics based on the TICU protocol.

Real acupuncture group - This group will receive real acupuncture with real needles. These are stainless steel, one time use, needles. This group will also receive "ear tacks" which are like little needles that can stay on the ear for a few days. The ear tacks will be covered with a bandage so no one can tell which group the subject is in.

Sham acupuncture group - This group will receive sham needles. These needles retract into themselves much like a 'magic sword' rather than poking the skin. Subjects in this group will not get ear tacks. In order to hide the group the subject is in, a bandage will be used to cover part of the ear.

HYPOTHESIS Real acupuncture will decrease subject's sedation requirements by 30% when compared to the sham acupuncture group.

Being tested
Verum Acupuncture, Sham Acupuncture
Keywords
Anxiolytics, Sedatives, Acupuncture Therapy
Medical subject headings
Delirium, Respiratory Insufficiency

What participants receive

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

  • Verum AcupunctureDevice

    Also called Special No. 16 needles (Gauge 8 x 1.2")

    DOSAGE: 25 acupoints per session FREQUENCY: 2 sessions per day DURATION: 5 days

  • Sham AcupunctureDevice

    Also called Streitberger Placebo-needles (Gauge 8 x 1.2")

    DOSAGE: 25 acupoints per session FREQUENCY: 2 sessions per day DURATION: 5 days

Study groups in NCT01362270
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Verum AcupunctureExperimentalSubjects will receive acupuncture using real acupuncture needles.
Receives: Device: Verum Acupuncture
Sham acupunctureSham comparatorSubjects will receive sham acupuncture therapy using the Streitberger needle at the same points and on the same schedule as patients in the treatment group. Streitberger needles are blunt tipped and retract into themselves rather than penetrating the skin.
Receives: Device: Sham Acupuncture

What is being measured

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

  1. Success of Blinding

    Care team, family and subject will be surveyed to determine success of blinding. Responses will be tallied and correlated with group assignments.

    Measured: Nurse surveyed daily for length of study (five [5] days). Physician and subject (or subject's family if he/she is unable to complete the questionnaire) surveyed upon study completion, six (6) days after enrollment.

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RAAS) Score

    Measure of sedation. Scale -5 to +4, with -5 equal to 'Unarousable' and +4 equal to 'Combative.'

    Measured: Median RAAS score during treatment (5 days)

  2. Length of Ventilator Dependence

    Number of hours of ventilator use

    Measured: Number hourss subject is ventilated. Subjects are expected to be ventilator dependent an average of 120 hours. Assessed up to discharge (estimated 3 weeks).

Timeline

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

  1. First posted30 May 2011 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2011
  3. Primary completionJul 2015
  4. Study completionJul 2015

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 N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
15 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01362270
Sponsor's protocol ID
MRF 811
Status last verified
Mar 2020
First submitted
25 May 2011
Last updated
20 Mar 2020
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Greif R, Laciny S, Mokhtarani M, Doufas AG, Bakhshandeh M, Dorfer L, Sessler DI. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of an auricular acupuncture point decreases anesthetic requirement. Anesthesiology. 2002 Feb;96(2):306-12. doi: 10.1097/00000542-200202000-00014.

    PubMed 11818761
  • Wang SM, Kain ZN. Auricular acupuncture: a potential treatment for anxiety. Anesth Analg. 2001 Feb;92(2):548-53. doi: 10.1097/00000539-200102000-00049.

    PubMed 11159266
  • Nayak S, Wenstone R, Jones A, Nolan J, Strong A, Carson J. Surface electrostimulation of acupuncture points for sedation of critically ill patients in the intensive care unit--a pilot study. Acupunct Med. 2008 Mar;26(1):1-7. doi: 10.1136/aim.26.1.1.

    PubMed 18356793
  • McManus CA, Schnyer RN, Kong J, Nguyen LT, Hyun Nam B, Goldman R, Stason WB, Kaptchuk TJ. Sham acupuncture devices--practical advice for researchers. Acupunct Med. 2007 Jun;25(1-2):36-40. doi: 10.1136/aim.25.1-2.36.

    PubMed 17641566
  • Shapiro MB, West MA, Nathens AB, Harbrecht BG, Moore FA, Bankey PE, Freeman B, Johnson JL, McKinley BA, Minei JP, Moore EE, Maier RV; Inflammation and the Host Response to Injury Large Scale Collaborative Research Project. V. Guidelines for sedation and analgesia during mechanical ventilation general overview. J Trauma. 2007 Oct;63(4):945-50. doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e318142d21b. No abstract available.

    PubMed 18090028

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Verum Acupuncture in people with Delirium and Respiratory Depression, run by Oregon Health and Science University 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 10 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 20 Mar 2020. 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.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 20 Mar 2020). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Success of Blinding (time frame: Nurse surveyed daily for length of study (five [5] days). Physician and subject (or subject's family if he/she is unable to complete the questionnaire) surveyed upon study completion, six (6) days after enrollment.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01362270, which also lists 5 linked publications.

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 20 Mar 2020.

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