Study on Neostigmine Acupoint Injection at Zusanli(ST36) for Treating Mechanical Ventilation-Associated Gastrointestinal Dysfunction

A Single-Center,Randomized Controlled Study on Neostigmine Acupoint Injection at Zusanli(ST36) for Treating Mechanical Ventilation-Associated Gastrointestinal Dysfunction

Mechanical ventilation is a common method of respiratory support for critically ill patients, and gastrointestinal dysfunction (GIDF) is a frequent complication. In the ICU, more than 60% of mechanically ventilated patients experience gastrointestinal dysfunction. Currently, the exact causes of mechanical ventilation-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction remain unclear, but they primarily include increased intra-abdominal pressure resulting from positive-pressure ventilation, which inhibits gastrointestinal motility; inflammatory responses, prolonged bed rest, electrolyte imbalances, and the use of sedatives, analgesics, and even muscle relaxants . Manifestations such as gastroparesis and constipation further lead to delayed gastric emptying, increased intra-abdominal pressure, and heightened risks of bacterial translocation, multiple organ failure, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Primary Objective is to investigate, through a prospective randomized controlled trial, the efficacy of neostigmine injection at the Zusanli acupoint compared to Zusanli acupoint stimulation alone or subcutaneous neostigmine injection in improving gastrointestinal function in patients with mechanical ventilation and gastrointestinal dysfunction. Secondary objectives: （1）To evaluate the effects of acupoint injection of neostigmine on the duration of mechanical ventilation, enteral nutrition intake, and ICU length of stay in critically ill patients; （2）To assess the safety of acupoint injection of neostigmine.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Gastrointestinal Dysfunction
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Neostigmine Acupoint Injection; Drug: Acupoint normal saline injection; Drug: Neostigmine subcutaneous injection

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 90
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Airan Liu professor; Phone Number: 8615295557466; Email: airanliu@126.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Respiratory failure due to any cause requiring mechanical ventilation, with an anticipated duration of mechanical ventilation of ≥48 hours;
• No spontaneous bowel movements for ≥48 hours or increased gastric residual volume (gastric residual volume >500 mL within 24 hours);
• Anticipated ICU stay of ≥3 days;
• Age ≥18 years and ≤85 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Use of prokinetic agents, subcutaneous or acupoint injections of neostigmine, or acupuncture at the Zusanli acupoint within 12 hours prior to enrollment;
• History of gastrointestinal surgery within the past 8 weeks; diarrhea within the past week; or history of severe gastrointestinal diseases such as mechanical intestinal obstruction, intestinal ischemia and necrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, or active gastrointestinal bleeding;
• Patients with an allergy to neostigmine or contraindications to its use, such as mechanical intestinal obstruction, urinary tract obstruction, bronchial asthma, bradycardia, hypotension, epilepsy, or Parkinson's disease;
• Patients unable to undergo acupoint injection due to skin lesions, infection, limb loss, or inability to cooperate at the Zusanli acupoint;
• Patients currently requiring routine treatment with neostigmine or similar cholinesterase inhibitors for other indications (e.g., myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease);
• Patients with a platelet count <50 × 10⁹/L on complete blood count or severe coagulation disorders (International Normalized Ratio [INR] >3);
• Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C) or hepatic encephalopathy;
• End-stage renal failure requiring dialysis prior to admission;
• Patients with hemodynamic instability (norepinephrine equivalent > 1.0 μg/kg·min);
• Patients who have participated in other interventional clinical trials within the past month;
• Pregnant, perinatal, or lactating women.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: neostigmine injection at the acupoints	Drug: Neostigmine Acupoint Injection; On the basis of standard treatment, neostigmine was injected into the bilateral Zusanli (ST36) acupoints. The patient was placed in the supine position with knees flexed. Following routine local disinfection, a 5 mL disposable syringe was used to extract 0.5 mg of neostigmine for vertical subcutaneous needling and injection. Upon needle withdrawal, the puncture site was compressed with sterile cotton swabs for hemostasis. The identical procedure was applied to the contralateral Zusanli acupoint. The intervention period is 1 day, with interventions administered twice daily (bid), 12 hours apart.
Active Comparator: intramuscular injection of normal saline	Drug: Acupoint normal saline injection; On the basis of standard treatment, normal saline was injected into bilateral Zusanli (ST36) acupoints. The patient was placed in the supine position with knees flexed. After routine local disinfection, a 5 mL disposable syringe was used for vertical needle insertion, and an equal volume of normal saline was injected subcutaneously into each acupoint. Following injection, the needle was withdrawn, and the puncture site was compressed with sterile cotton swabs for hemostasis.The intervention period is 1 day, with interventions administered twice daily (bid), 12 hours apart.
Active Comparator: subcutaneous injection of neostigmine	Drug: Neostigmine subcutaneous injection; On the basis of standard treatment, subcutaneous injection was performed at non-acupoint sites. A 5 mL disposable syringe was used to aspirate 1 mg of neostigmine injection for single-site injection. The injection site received routine disinfection beforehand. Following the injection, the needle was withdrawn, and the puncture site was compressed with sterile cotton swabs for hemostasis.The intervention period is 1 day, with interventions administered twice daily (bid), 12 hours apart.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Remission rate of gastrointestinal symptoms within 24 hours	Gastrointestinal symptom relief is defined as meeting both recovery of spontaneous defecation (i.e., the first defecation after initial intervention with a defecation volume > 100 mL) and improvement in 24-hour gastric retention (24-hour gastric retention volume ≤ 500 mL).	within 24 hours after treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
ICU mortality	the survival rate(survival/total) during ICU stay	up to 24 months
28-day mortality	Mortality was calculated on day 28 of treatment	From randomization to Day 28
Length of ICU stay	Time of staying in ICU within 28 days	up to 28 days
Infection condition	Infection condition within 28 days	From randomization to Day 28
28-day vasopressor-free days	28-day vasopressor-free days is defined as a continuous period of 28 days, beginning from the time a patient is weaned from shock, circulatory failure, or mechanical circulatory support, during which no vasoactive drugs are used at any time, and the patient maintains stable circulation without the need for vasopressors agents to sustain blood pressure and tissue perfusion.	From randomization to Day 28
28-day ventilator-free days	Ventilator-free days are defined as the number of days alive and free from invasive mechanical ventilation during the first 28 days after randomization.	From randomization to Day 28
Length of hospital stay	Length of hospital stay	prior to hospital discharge
Enteral Nutrition Prescription	Enteral Nutrition Prescription was recorded before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment,and on day 7 of treatment.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment,on day 7 of treatment
Intra-abdominal pressure(mmHg)	The patient was placed in the supine position. A urinary catheter was inserted transurethrally and connected to a three-way stopcock. Then 25 mL of 0.9% normal saline was injected. Taking the level of the pubic symphysis as the zero point, the water column height at the end of expiration was measured and recorded.IAP readings must be converted to mmHg.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
Bowel sounds	Bowel sounds (times/min) were auscultated daily at a fixed time point before and after treatment over the right lower abdomen with a stethoscope. Each continuous auscultation lasted 3 minutes; the frequency of bowel sounds per minute was recorded, and the mean value of three repeated measurements was calculated.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
motilin	Venous blood samples of 2 mL were collected in the early morning before treatment, on day 1 and day 3 after treatment. The levels of motilin (MTL) were determined and recorded.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
gastrin	Venous blood samples of 2 mL were collected in the early morning before treatment, on day 1 and day 3 after treatment. The levels of gastrin (GAS) were determined and recorded.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
vasoactive intestinal peptide	Venous blood samples of 2 mL were collected in the early morning before treatment, on day 1 and day 3 after treatment. The levels of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) were determined and recorded.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
electrogastroenterography changes:FP(cpm)	An electrogastroenterograph (Model EGEG-8D) was adopted. During examination, all subjects were placed in the supine position. Electrogastroenterography was performed before treatment, at 1 day and 3 days after treatment, and the main frequency (FP) (cpm) were recorded.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
hemoglobin	Hemoglobin(g/L) are measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of nutritional condition.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
albumin	Serum albumin levels(g/L) are measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of nutritional condition.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
prealbumin	Serum prealbumin levels(mg/L) are measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of nutritional condition.	before treatment,on day 1 of treatment,on day 3 of treatment
White blood cell count	Serum White blood cell count (10^9/L) is measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of a systemic inflammatory response.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
Lymphocyte count	Serum lymphocyte count (10^9/L) is measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of a systemic inflammatory response.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
C-reactive protein	Serum C-reactive protein levels(mg/L) are measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of a systemic inflammatory response.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
Procalcitonin	Serum procalcitonin protein levels(ng/mL) are measured at baseline ,Day1, and Day3 as a marker of a systemic inflammatory response.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
electrogastroenterography changes:FC(cpm)	An electrogastroenterograph (Model EGEG-8D) was adopted. During examination, all subjects were placed in the supine position. Electrogastroenterography was performed before treatment, at 1 day and 3 days after treatment, and the mean frequency (FC) were recorded.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
electrogastroenterography changes:AP(uV)	An electrogastroenterograph (Model EGEG-8D) was adopted. During examination, all subjects were placed in the supine position. Electrogastroenterography was performed before treatment, at 1 day and 3 days after treatment, and amplitude was recorded.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment
Actual feeding amount	Actual feeding amount (kcal)was recorded before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment, on day 7 of treatment.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment, on day 7 of treatment.
Intestinal diameter	Using a Philips ultrasound machine, the intestinal diameter（cm） was assessed by scanning with a convex probe while the patient was in the supine position before treatment, 1 day after treatment, and 3 days after treatment.	before treatment, on day 1 of treatment, on day 3 of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Southeast University, China

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Mechanical Ventilation; neostigmine; Gastrointestinal Dysfunction; Zusanli(ST 36)
• Other Study ID Numbers: ST36 Acupoint injection; 2026ZDSYLL103-P01 (Other Identifier: Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No