Imagine waking up from surgery feeling suddenly confused, disoriented, and agitated. This frightening state, called postoperative delirium, is a common and serious risk for older patients. A new research plan aims to see if a simple, non-drug approach might help prevent it. The study will focus on 212 elderly men undergoing laparoscopic prostate surgery at two hospitals. Thirty minutes before they receive anesthesia, half will get real electroacupuncture at specific points on the head and leg, while the other half will get a sham procedure that doesn't involve real needling. Researchers will then carefully track who develops delirium in the first three days after surgery, along with pain levels, medication use, and markers of inflammation in the blood. It's important to know this is just the blueprint for the study—the trial hasn't been completed yet, so there are no results to report. The evidence so far on whether acupuncture can prevent delirium in this specific group of patients is limited, which is exactly why this research is being done. The hope is that if the approach works, it could offer a safe additional strategy to protect patients' minds after an operation.
Electroacupuncture protocol aims to prevent postoperative delirium in elderly prostatectomy patientsCan acupuncture before prostate surgery help prevent confusion in older patients?
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Key Takeaway
Note: This is a study protocol; no efficacy or safety results for electroacupuncture in preventing delirium are available.
This study protocol describes a planned double-center randomized controlled trial investigating electroacupuncture for postoperative delirium prevention in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. The trial will enroll 212 patients, comparing active electroacupuncture at Zusanli (ST36) and Baihui (GV20) acupoints (initiated 30 minutes before anesthesia and maintained for 25–30 minutes) against sham electroacupuncture. The primary outcome is the incidence of postoperative delirium assessed with the 3D-CAM during the first three postoperative days; secondary outcomes include delirium duration, severity, subtypes, pain scores, opioid consumption, catheter-related bladder discomfort, adverse events, and plasma neuroinflammatory biomarker levels.
No efficacy or safety results are reported, as this is a protocol publication. Adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability are not reported. The authors note that evidence regarding the efficacy of electroacupuncture for preventing postoperative delirium specifically in elderly patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is limited.
The protocol states that if the hypothesis is confirmed, the study would provide evidence for a non-pharmacological strategy to improve postoperative cognitive outcomes. However, this remains hypothetical until trial completion and data analysis. Clinical relevance cannot be assessed without results. The protocol represents an early-stage investigation into a potential intervention where current evidence is limited.
What this means for you:
A study is planned to test if pre-surgery acupuncture prevents confusion in older men; results aren't in yet. More on Postoperative Delirium
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View Original Abstract ↓
BackgroundPostoperative delirium (POD) is an acute disorder of attention and cognition, frequently observed as a complication in elderly individuals undergoing major surgery. Patients undergoing laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) are particularly vulnerable due to advanced age and comorbidities. Electroacupuncture (EA), as a non-pharmacological intervention, may attenuate neuroinflammation and cerebral injury, potentially reducing the risk of POD. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of EA in reducing the incidence of POD among elderly patients undergoing LRP.MethodsThis is a double-center, prospective, randomized, patient- and assessor-blinded, sham-controlled trial. A total of 212 eligible participants will be enrolled and allocated in a 1:1 ratio to either the EA group or the sham EA (SEA) group. Participants in the EA group will receive intervention at the acupoints Zusanli (ST36) and Baihui (GV20), initiated 30 min prior to anesthesia induction and maintained for 25–30 min. The primary outcome is the incidence of POD assessed using the 3D-CAM during the first three postoperative days. Secondary endpoints include the duration and severity of delirium, delirium subtypes, pain scores, opioid consumption, catheter-related bladder discomfort, adverse events, and plasma levels of neuroinflammatory biomarkers.DiscussionCurrently, evidence regarding the efficacy of EA in preventing POD specifically in elderly patients undergoing LRP is limited. This randomized controlled trial is designed to address this research gap. If the hypothesis is confirmed, this study will provide evidence for a safe, non-pharmacological strategy to improve postoperative cognitive outcomes in this population.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=240562, Identifier: ChiCTR2500097337.
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