Ear acupressure to reduce anxiety and pain during elective heart surgery
Official title: Ear Acupressure for Reducing Anxiety and Pain During Heart Surgery
Run by University Hospital Tuebingen · NCT07010003 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This will try using ear acupressure (NADA protocol) in adults having elective heart surgery to see if it reduces preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 66 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University Hospital Tuebingen Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Stuttgart) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | May 13, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 2026 |
| Study ends | May 2026 |
| Registry record updated | June 8, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07010003 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults scheduled for elective heart surgery at Robert Bosch Krankenhaus who can give informed consent and have not had acupuncture in the past three months.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients under 18, those needing urgent or emergency surgery, those unable or unwilling to consent, or those who recently received acupuncture are not eligible and are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
The intervention uses ear acupressure following the NADA protocol applied to adult patients undergoing elective heart surgery at Robert Bosch Krankenhaus. Trained practitioners will deliver the acupressure before surgery as a non-pharmacological complement to standard care. Patients who are under 18, undergoing urgent/emergency surgery, unable or unwilling to consent, or who received acupuncture in the prior three months are excluded. Outcomes will focus on measures of preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain, and may include medication use and short-term recovery indicators.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience less preoperative anxiety and reduced postoperative pain, potentially improving comfort and lowering use of sedatives or analgesics.
How similar studies have gone: Several prior studies report that preoperative acupuncture or acupressure can reduce anxiety, pain, and nausea in various surgeries, although ear-only NADA applications for open-heart procedures are less thoroughly studied.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * All adult patients who are capable of giving consent or willing to do so and who are undergoing elective heart surgery at the Robert Bosch Krankenhaus study center are included. Exclusion Criteria: * Under 18 years old * Emergency or urgent surgery * Patients who are incapable of giving consent or unwilling to do so * Patients who have received acupuncture treatment (including NADA ear acupuncture or acupressure) in the last three months
Where it's running
-
Robert Bosch Krankenhaus
Stuttgart, Germany Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Nora Göbel, Dr. med. — Robert Bosch Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Nora Göbel, Priv.-Doz. Dr. med.
- Email: nora.goebel@rbk.de
- Phone: +49 711 8101 3650
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Median nerve EMG to monitor neuromuscular function during surgery
This study tests whether measuring the median nerve’s muscle response can help track the effect of muscle relaxants during elective surgeries.
-
Quick frailty tests to predict outcomes after elective surgery
This project will test whether quick frailty tests (PRISMA-7, timed up and go, and clock drawing) can predict postoperative outcomes for people 70 and older having intermediate or major elective surgery.
-
Virtual group prehabilitation education (GoPREPARE) for people awaiting cancer surgery
This trial will test whether a virtual group prehabilitation class called GoPREPARE helps adults waiting for elective cancer surgery improve their fitness, nutrition, and readiness for surgery.
-
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.
-
Predicting low blood pressure after anesthesia in older adults using carotid cFT and IVC collapsibility
We will test whether two ultrasound measurements—carotid corrected flow time (cFT) and the inferior vena cava (IVC) collapsibility index—can predict which older adults having elective surgery will develop low blood pressure after induction of general anesthesia.
-
Goal-directed IV fluid management using cardiac index versus central venous pressure after major abdominal surgery.
This study will test whether guiding IV fluids by cardiac index or by central venous pressure during the first six hours in the ICU gives better fluid amounts and outcomes for adults after elective major abdominal surgery.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.