Acupuncture to Improve Sleep and Reduce Pain After Lung Cancer Surgery (VATS)

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Adults aged 18 to 75 scheduled for VATS lung cancer resection are randomized to receive either true acupuncture or sham acupuncture alongside standard care, with perioperative sessions aimed at improving sleep quality and reducing postoperative pain. Sleep quality is tracked during the hospital stay and for up to six months after surgery, along with assessments of chronic pain. The study uses a single-blind design, comparing real acupuncture to placebo needling to determine if the intervention offers advantages beyond standard care. Primary outcomes focus on postoperative sleep disturbances and chronic post-surgical pain.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria：

1. Patients aged 18-75 years scheduled for elective video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer resection.
2. American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification I-II.
3. Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 28 kg/m².
4. Clinical tumor stage according to the 8th edition of the AJCC/UICC TNM Classification: cTis-3N0-1M0.
5. Mentally competent, able to understand and correctly use the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain assessment.
6. Willing and able to provide written informed consent prior to study participation.

Exclusion Criteria：

1. Critical preoperative condition or inability to cooperate.
2. History of sleep apnea or moderate to severe snoring.
3. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ≥7 or Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) score ≥6.
4. Implanted cardiac pacemaker, preoperative sinus bradycardia (heart rate ≤50 bpm), sinoatrial node disease, or second-/third-degree atrioventricular block.
5. Long-term use of anticonvulsants, antidepressants, or other psychotropic medications.
6. Known hypersensitivity or allergy to the study materials (needles/devices) or related medications.
7. Severe cardiac, hepatic, or renal dysfunction.
8. Participation in another clinical trial within the past 3 months.
9. Hearing and/or language communication impairment.
10. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
11. Fever (body temperature ≥38.5°C) or clinical evidence of infection (hematological, radiological, and/or microbiological) prior to surgery.
12. Planned reoperation, or anticipated postoperative recurrence, severe complications, or critical illness requiring exclusion from follow-up.

Where it's running

• Shanghai First People's Hospital
  Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China Recruiting
• Shanghai First People's Hospital
  Shanghai, China Recruiting

Similar studies

Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

• Understanding surgical worries before elective operations

  This project uses a short semi-structured interview to see if identifying adults with high preoperative anxiety can help guide personalized care to reduce the risk of chronic post-surgical pain.

  Recruiting University Hospital, Antwerp · Edegem, Antwerpen · NCT07158684

• Combining dexmedetomidine and esketamine to improve sleep after major surgery

  This study is testing whether a mix of two medications, dexmedetomidine and esketamine, can help adults sleep better after major surgery compared to a placebo.

  Recruiting Phase 4 Peking University First Hospital · Beijing · NCT06859892

• Pain management after cesarean section using Dinalbuphine Ester

  This study is testing if a new pain medication called Dinalbuphine Ester can help women recover better and feel less pain after having a cesarean section compared to standard morphine.

  Recruiting Phase 2/3 Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital · Dalin, Chai-Yi · NCT06344169

• Radiofrequency ablation for chronic pain after knee surgery

  This study tests whether a treatment called radiofrequency ablation can help people with ongoing knee pain after knee surgery feel better.

  Recruiting Consorci Sanitari de l'Alt Penedès i Garraf · Barcelona, Catalonia · NCT05920382

• Understanding pain after surgery in children with cerebral palsy

  This study looks at how children with cerebral palsy experience pain after orthopedic surgery and how it relates to their use of pain medication, to help predict who might have ongoing pain later on.

  Recruiting at 2 sites Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare · Wilmington, Delaware and 1 other locations · NCT05764681

• iCanCope PostOp app to help teens manage pain after scoliosis or pectus surgery

  This project will test whether the iCanCope PostOp smartphone app helps teens aged 12–18 manage pain and recovery after scoliosis or minimally invasive pectus surgery.

  Recruiting The Hospital for Sick Children · Boston, Massachusetts and 1 other locations · NCT05382962

How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.