Acupuncture for Pain Relief During Induced Labour in Nulliparae

April 26, 2019 updated by: Ian Mackenzie, University of Oxford

Acupuncture for Pain Relief During Induced Labour in Nulliparae: a Randomised Controlled Study

The study was primarily designed to assess the role of acupuncture in reducing the need for epidural analgesia for pain relief during induced labour. The other outcomes of labour were to be observed in addition.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study was limited to women in their first pregnancy having labour induced for prolonged pregnancy or mild hypertension. The study involved randomised groups managed with manual acupuncture, electro acupuncture, sham acupuncture and a no-treatment control group.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
105

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • Oxford, United Kingdom, OX3 9DU
        • John Radcliffe Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • nulliparae
  • having labour induced for prolonged pregnancy or mild hypertension
  • no previous experience of acupuncture
  • give written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • all who do not meet the inclusion criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: manual acupuncture
Sterile needles were inserted intramuscularly to a depth of 15-20mm until an unusual (De-Qi) sensation developed and remained inserted for 30-60 minutes and were manually manipulated during this time. The following bilateral acupoints on the hands and feet at Hegu (LI 4), Sanyinjiao (Sp 6) Kunlun (BL 60) and Zhiyin (BL 67)were used.
Procedure: acupuncture
The description of the acupuncture, whether manual, electro or sham, is as described for each of the individual groups.
Other Names:
  • Disposable needles Seirin DN04 0.20x30mm - 0.30x50mm.
  • Electronic Acupunctuscope AWQ-104L digital.
Experimental: electro acupuncture
Sterile needles were inserted intramuscularly to a depth of 15-20mm until an unusual (De-Qi) sensation developed and remained inserted for 30-60 minutes and were either electronically simulated withm2 Hz pulses of 0.5 msec duration for 30 minutes sufficient to cause non-painful muscle contractions. The following bilateral acupoints on the hands and feet at Hegu (LI 4), Sanyinjiao (Sp 6) Kunlun (BL 60) and Zhiyin (BL 67)were used.
Procedure: acupuncture
The description of the acupuncture, whether manual, electro or sham, is as described for each of the individual groups.
Other Names:
  • Disposable needles Seirin DN04 0.20x30mm - 0.30x50mm.
  • Electronic Acupunctuscope AWQ-104L digital.
Sham Comparator: Sham manual or electro acupuncture
Sterile needles were inserted adjacent to the specific acupuncture sites identified for the manual and electro groups to a depth of 1-1.5mm only and insufficient to provoke an unusual sensation and left in position for a 30-60 minutes. Those randomised to 'sham-manual' received no stimulation and those randomised to 'sham-electro' were connected to the electrical stimulator but the current not activated.
Procedure: acupuncture
The description of the acupuncture, whether manual, electro or sham, is as described for each of the individual groups.
Other Names:
  • Disposable needles Seirin DN04 0.20x30mm - 0.30x50mm.
  • Electronic Acupunctuscope AWQ-104L digital.
No Intervention: control group
Following randomisation to be control group, no specific treatment was organised at this time.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the rate of intrapartum epidural analgesia
Time Frame: within 72 hours of trial entry
epidural analgesia administered during labour
within 72 hours of trial entry

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
the outcome of labour
Time Frame: within 72 hours of trial entry
the outcomes of labour included: parenteral analgesia requirement, labour length, delivery mode, neonatal condition and postpartum haemorrhage
within 72 hours of trial entry

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Oxford

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: I Z MacKenzie, FRCOG, University of Oxford

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2005

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
July 1, 2009

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 1, 2009

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 15, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 16, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 19, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 30, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 26, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 4874

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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