Perioperative TEAS and Traditional Chinese Medicine to Improve GI Recovery After Abdominal Surgery

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

This randomized, open-label trial assigns 148 adults undergoing elective open or laparoscopic Grade IV abdominal surgeries to receive either standard prehabilitation plus ERAS or the same care plus TEAS and Traditional Chinese Medicine during the perioperative period. The study aims to measure gastrointestinal function recovery, pain, adverse events, length of hospital stay, and complications, along with safety. It seeks to enrich ERAS with traditional Chinese medicine approaches and assess feasibility of integrating TEAS and TCM into perioperative care. The trial is conducted across multiple hospitals in China with standardized protocols for perioperative management. Primary outcomes focus on GI recovery timelines, with secondary outcomes including safety and patient-reported experiences.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Patients aged \>18 years with no severe preoperative gastrointestinal dysfunction (e.g., no chronic gastrointestinal diseases such as long-term constipation or diarrhea).
* Scheduled abdominal Grade IV surgeries (limited to liver, gallbladder, pancreas, stomach, or intestinal procedures) performed via open or laparoscopic approach.
* Preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification of I-III.
* Patients and their families fully understand the study's purpose, methods, potential risks/benefits, and provide signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Comorbid severe systemic diseases.
* Local skin abnormalities at acupoints (e.g.,broken skin, infection, allergies, or scarring).
* Preoperative long-term use (\>1 month) of gastrointestinal motility-affecting drugs (e.g., mosapride, domperidone) that cannot be discontinued, or allergies to TCM components/electrode materials.
* Psychiatric disorders or cognitive impairment rendering patients unable to comply with the study.

Elimination Criteria:

* Non-compliance with treatment protocols (e.g., receiving \<80% of planned sessions).
* Significant missing data.
* Occurrence of severe adverse events unrelated to the study intervention.

Where it's running

• Guang'anmen Hospital China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
  Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Quanda Liu Liu
• Email: 15549437482@163.com
• Phone: +8688001037

Similar studies

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

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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.