Background: The investigators' previous study demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) reduces the duration of postoperative ileus and hospital stay after laparoscopic colorectal surgery within a traditional perioperative care setting. Recent evidence also suggested that a 'fast-track' (FT) perioperative program may help accelerate recovery after colorectal surgery. It is uncertain whether the combination of EA and FT program will result in faster recovery after laparoscopic colorectal surgery when compared with FT program alone. Objectives: To compare the efficacy of EA combined with FT program versus FT program alone in reducing the duration of postoperative ileus and hospital stay after laparoscopic colorectal surgery Design: Prospective randomized trial. Subjects: 72 consecutive patients undergoing elective laparoscopic resection of colonic and upper rectal cancer without conversion will be recruited. Interventions: Patients will be randomly allocated to one of the two groups receiving either EA + FT program, or FT program alone. Outcome measures: Primary outcome: time to defecation. Secondary outcomes: duration of hospital stay, time to resume diet, pain scores, analgesic requirement, morbidity, quality of life, and medical costs. Conclusions: This study serves as a good example that illustrates an integrated approach in combining Chinese and Western models of health care. It will provide evidence-based clarification of the role of EA in enhancing recovery after laparoscopic colorectal surgery within a FT perioperative care setting. As laparoscopic colorectal surgery has been shown to have a higher direct cost than the open counterpart, a faster postoperative recovery may help reduce the financial burden to the hospital/healthcare system.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
72
As above
As above
Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong, China
RECRUITINGTime to defecation
Measured in hours, from the time the laparoscopic surgery ends till the first observed passage of stool.
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Total postoperative hospital stay
Including hospital stay of patients who are readmitted within 30 days after surgery
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Time of first passing flatus reported by the patients
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Time that the patients tolerated solid diet
Time that the patients tolerated solid diet (any food that required chewing) without vomiting or experiencing significant nausea 4 hours following the meal
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Time to walk independently
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Pain scores on visual analog scale
From 0 which implies no pain at all, to 100 which implies the worst pain imaginable, on the first 3 postoperative days
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Postoperative 30-day morbidity
Defined by the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Incidence rate of adverse events related to electroacupuncture
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Readmission rate
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Quality of life scores measured by Short Form 36 (SF-36) Health Survey at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery
SF-36 Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health. It consists of eight scaled scores, which are the weighted sums of the questions in their section. The eight sections are: vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning, and mental health. Each scale is directly transformed into a 0-100 scale on the assumption that each question carries equal weight. The lower the score the more disability. The higher the score the less disability i.e., a score of zero is equivalent to maximum disability and a score of 100 is equivalent to no disability.
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Quality of life scores measured by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaires at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery
EORTC QLQ-C30 is a generic questionnaire for assessment of quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. It includes 30 items, 24 of which are combined to form a global QoL scale, five functional scales (physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social), and three symptom scales (fatigue, nausea/vomiting, and pain). The other six single items evaluate dyspnea, insomnia, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and financial difficulties. All questionnaires responses and scores will be linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale. A higher score on the global QoL and functional scales represents a higher level of QoL and functioning, whereas a higher score on the symptom scales/items represents a higher degree of symptoms or dysfunction.
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Quality of life measured by European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-CR38 questionnaires at 2 and 4 weeks after surgery
EORTC QLQ-CR38 is a specific questionnaire module specifically designed for assessment of quality of life (QoL) in patients with colorectal cancer. It consists of 38 items covering symptoms and side effects related to different colorectal cancer treatment modalities. The module contains four functional scales (body image, sexual functioning, sexual enjoyment, and future perspective) and eight symptom scales/items (micturition problems, chemotherapy side effects, gastrointestinal tract symptoms, male sexual problems, female sexual problems, defecation problems, stoma-related problems, and weight loss). All questionnaires responses and scores will be linearly transformed to a 0-100 scale. A higher score on the global QoL and functional scales represents a higher level of QoL and functioning, whereas a higher score on the symptom scales/items represents a higher degree of symptoms or dysfunction.
Time frame: Up to 1 month
Direct/indirect medical costs and out-of-hospital economic costs
Time frame: Up to 1 month
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