Purpose:
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can accelerate the recovery of bowel function in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer.
Main Questions to be Answered:
Does electroacupuncture reduce the time to the first bowel movement after surgery compared to standard care or a "sham" (placebo) treatment?
Can electroacupuncture improve overall gastrointestinal tolerance and reduce postoperative discomfort?
Study Design:
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:
Electroacupuncture Group: Receives active electrical stimulation at specific acupuncture points.
Sham Acupuncture Group: Receives superficial needling at non-treatment points with no electrical current to serve as a placebo.
Standard Care Group: Receives standard hospital recovery protocols (ERAS) without acupuncture.
All treatments will consist of four 30-minute sessions: one before surgery and three on the days following the procedure. Researchers will compare the three groups to see if the electroacupuncture group experiences a faster return of digestive function.
Histologically confirmed colorectal cancer requiring scheduled curative-intent resection.
Age between 18 and 79 years, inclusive.
Ability to understand the study protocol and provide written informed consent.
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status classification of I, II, or III.
Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
History of major abdominal surgery within the past 4 weeks.
Receipt of chemotherapy or radiotherapy within the past 6 months.
History of organ transplantation with rejection episodes within the past 30 days.