Effect of auricular acupressure as an adjunct to standard postoperative care on physical and psychological outcomes following coronary artery bypass graft surgery: protocol for a randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled trial
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Study Protocol
Abstract: Introduction Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery frequently experience postoperative pain, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and physiological instability during recovery in the cardiac intensive care unit. Although auricular acupressure (AA) has been investigated as a non-pharmacological adjunct for symptom management, existing studies are limited by methodological shortcomings, including inadequate blinding, absence of appropriate sham controls and heterogeneous surgical populations. This study aims to evaluate whether AA, as an adjunct to standard postoperative care, improves physical and psychological outcomes following CABG surgery. Methods and analysis This is a prospective, randomised, single-blind, sham-controlled, three-arm parallel-group superiority trial. Ninety-six adults undergoing elective on-pump CABG surgery will be randomly allocated (1:1:1) to active AA, sham AA or usual postoperative care. The intervention will be delivered two times per day on postoperative days 2 through 7 (six consecutive days). The primary outcomes are pain intensity assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale and anxiety and depression assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Secondary outcomes include sleep quality, fatigue, delirium severity, physiological parameters, analgesic consumption and intensive care unit and hospital length of stay. Outcome assessments will be conducted at baseline, throughout the intervention period, at hospital discharge and 1 month after surgery. Analyses will follow the intention-to-treat principle using linear mixed-effects models to evaluate between-group differences over time. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (IR.TBZMED.REC.1404.249). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants before enrolment. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at scientific conferences and updates to the trial registry. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20160110025937N9), registered on 4 September 2025 (https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/user/trial/84266/view).
Source: BMJ Open
Institution: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and alternative medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,839
OpenAlex ID: W7220920194