Clinical trial · Interventional
TEAS Timing for Gastrectomy Recovery (TEAS-TIME Trial)
Effect of Perioperative vs Postoperative-Only Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Gastrointestinal Recovery and Pain Control After Laparoscopic Radical Gastrectomy: A Multicenter， Three-Arm, Randomized, Sham-Controlled Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) works to help people recover faster after laparoscopic surgery for stomach cancer. TEAS is a treatment that uses small electrical pulses through sticky pads on the skin. It does not use needles. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does TEAS help people pass gas (a sign that the digestive system is waking up) sooner after surgery? Does TEAS help lower pain after surgery? Does TEAS reduce the need for extra pain medication after surgery? Researchers will compare three groups to see if TEAS works better when given before, during, and after surgery compared with only after surgery. Group 1 receives TEAS before, during, and after surgery. Group 2 receives a sham (inactive) treatment before and during surgery, and real TEAS after surgery. Group 3 receives sham treatment at all time points. All participants will receive the same standard pain relief and recovery care after surgery. Participants will: Be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of the three groups Receive TEAS or sham treatment for 30 minutes before surgery, during surgery, and for 30 minutes each day on the first 3 days after surgery Rate their pain on a 0-10 scale at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours after surgery Complete quality-of-life questionnaires before surgery, on day 4 after surgery, and 30 days after surgery Have a follow-up visit or phone call 30 days after leaving the hospital This study includes 300 adults aged 18 to 80 years who are scheduled to have laparoscopic surgery for stomach cancer at 13 hospitals in Shandong Province, China.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastric Cancer (GC) | Malignant Gastric Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
| Stomach Neoplasms | Gastric Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sham Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (3)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Peri-TEAS Group
- description
- Participants receive active transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) before, during, and after surgery. Stimulation begins 30 minutes before anesthesia induction, continues throughout the surgery, and is repeated for 30 minutes daily on postoperative days 1 through 3.
- interventionNames
- Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Post-TEAS Group
- description
- Participants receive sham (inactive) TEAS before and during surgery, and active TEAS after surgery. Postoperative stimulation is given for 30 minutes daily on postoperative days 1 through 3.
- interventionNames
- Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation
- type
- SHAM_COMPARATOR
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 80 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 to 80 years, both sexes * Endoscopically and radiographically confirmed resectable stage I-III gastric cancer (AJCC 8th edition) * Scheduled to undergo laparoscopic radical gastrectomy * Willing to sign the informed consent form and able to comply with all study procedures Exclusion Criteria: * American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status ≥ IV * Clinical stage IV gastric cancer * Severe hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, or cerebrovascular diseases, or uncontrolled psychiatric disorders that may affect compliance or safety assessment * Participation in another clinical trial or receipt of any form of acupoint stimulation (acupuncture, electroacupuncture, TEAS, etc.) within 1 month prior to enrollment * Continuous use of opioids for more than 3 months prior to enrollment, with a daily dose ≥ 30 mg oral morphine equivalent * Implanted cardiac pacemaker or other electronic stimulation device, or skin infection/lesion at the stimulation site * Pregnancy or lactation * Emergency surgery due to bleeding, perforation, obstruction, etc. * Planned epidural anesthesia for the surgery
References
Publications (5)
- BACKGROUNDPei L, Wang G, Yang S, Zhou S, Xu T, Zhou J, Zhang W, Lu K, Hu L, Wang Y, Wang K, You D, Wu Y, Li L, Guo J, Sun J. Electroacupuncture Reduces Duration of Postoperative Ileus After Laparoscopic Gastrectomy for Gastric Cancer: A Multicenter Randomized Trial. Gastroenterology. 2025 Jul;169(1):73-84. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2025.02.006. Epub 2025 Feb 18. PMID 39978558
- BACKGROUNDZhou X, Cao SG, Tan XJ, Liu XD, Li ZQ, Kong LX, Tian YL, Liu D, Shen S, Sun YQ, Jiang HT, Zhou YB. Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation (TEAS) on Postoperative Recovery in Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Cancer Manag Res. 2021 Feb 12;13:1449-1458. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S292325. eCollection 2021. PMID 33603487
- BACKGROUNDTan SY, Jiang H, Ma Q, Ye X, Fu X, Ren YF, You FM. Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on early postoperative pain and recovery: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Apr 29;11:1302057. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1302057. eCollection 2024. PMID 38745738
- BACKGROUNDJiang T, Li J, Meng L, Wang J, Zhang H, Liu M. Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on gastrointestinal dysfunction after gastrointestinal surgery: A meta-analysis. Complement Ther Med. 2023 May;73:102938. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102938. Epub 2023 Feb 25. PMID 36842636
- BACKGROUNDSzmit M, Krajewski R, Rudnicki J, Agrawal S. Application and efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) in clinical practice: A systematic review. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2023 Sep;32(9):1063-1074. doi: 10.17219/acem/159703. PMID 37026972