Electroacupuncture for Preventing Postoperative Delirium in Older Adults Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty

NCT ID: NCT06564506

Last Updated: 2025-09-26

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

1460 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-11-10

Study Completion Date

2026-08-30

Brief Summary

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Electroacupuncture may improve cognitive function and altered consciousness, but its effect on postoperative delirium in older arthroplasty patients remains unexplored. This study aims to assess the efficacy of electroacupuncture in preventing postoperative delirium in older adults undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Detailed Description

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Electroacupuncture combines traditional acupuncture with electrical stimulation at specific body points. Recent clinical studies have shown promising results for acupuncture-related techniques in managing perioperative neurocognitive disorders. However, the efficacy of electroacupuncture in preventing postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty remains unexplored.This randomised controlled trial aims to evaluate the efficacy of electroacupuncture in preventing postoperative delirium in elderly patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Conditions

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Postoperative Delirium

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

QUADRUPLE

Participants Caregivers Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Active electroacupuncture group

Participants will receive 30 minutes of active electroacupuncture before anaesthesia induction. Experienced acupuncturists will administer electroacupuncture at Shenting (GV24, 0.5 cun \[≈10 mm\] above the anterior hairline midpoint) and bilateral Benshen (GB13, 3 cun \[≈60 mm\] lateral to GV24). After skin preparation and pad placement, patients will close their eyes. Needles will be inserted 20 to 24 mm into the subgaleal layer at a flat angle, then manually manipulated to elicit de qi sensations (eg, fullness, numbness and soreness). Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices

Intervention Type DEVICE

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

Sham electroacupuncture group

Participants will receive 30 minutes of sham electroacupuncture before anaesthesia induction.The sham group will use non-acupuncture points: 20 mm above GV24 and 20 mm lateral to GB13. These points, in different dermatomes from true acupoints, minimise location-specific effects. The procedure will match the active group, excluding needle manipulation, de qi sensation and electrical output.

Group Type SHAM_COMPARATOR

Placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm)

Intervention Type DEVICE

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Sham electroacupuncture will use blunt-tipped placebo needles without current output, which retract into their handles to simulate skin insertion.

SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices

Intervention Type DEVICE

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

Interventions

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Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm)

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm)

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Sham electroacupuncture will use blunt-tipped placebo needles without current output, which retract into their handles to simulate skin insertion.

Intervention Type DEVICE

SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices

Disposable acupuncture needles (0.30 × 75 mm), placebo needles (0.30 × 25 mm) and SDZ-V electroacupuncture devices (Hwato, Suzhou Medical Supplies Factory Co Ltd, China) will be used. Electrodes attached to the needle handles will deliver stimulation for 30 minutes (2 Hz/15 Hz frequency, 1 mA intensity) to cause mild skin movement without pain.

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Aged 65-90 years
* American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status class II or III
* Scheduled for elective unilateral total knee arthroplasty under general anesthesia

Exclusion Criteria

* Baseline dementia or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score below 24
* Implanted electrical devices (eg, pacemakers, brain or spinal cord neurostimulator)
* Infection or abscess at any selected acupuncture point
* Severe hematopoietic or hemorrhagic disease
* Severe audio-visual impairments or inability to communicate in Mandarin
* Alcohol or illicit drug misuse disorder
* Current use of sedatives, antidepressants or glucocorticoids
* Received acupuncture or electroacupuncture within one month before surgery
* Any condition deemed unsafe or unsuitable by the research team
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

90 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Fujian Provincial Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Yao Yusheng

Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Yusheng Yao, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Fujian Provincial Hospital, China

Locations

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Fujian Provincial Hospital

Fuzhou, Fujian, China

Site Status

Countries

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China

Central Contacts

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Yusheng Yao, MD

Role: CONTACT

+86-13559939629

Facility Contacts

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Yusheng Yao, MD

Role: primary

+86-13559939629

Other Identifiers

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K2023-02-004/02

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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