An interventional study of Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA) and Sham Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA) in Cirrhosis, sponsored by University of Michigan. Not yet recruiting at 2 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-16.
Sponsored by University of Michigan · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study is being done to better understand how the study team can treat pain for people with cirrhosis and depression.
Enrolled participants on this feasibility study will be randomized to Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA) or sham TEA.
3,227 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Pain; 729 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 100 is above the median of 60 across 2,388 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Pain.
Browse Chronic Pain studies →University of Michigan is the lead sponsor of 1,506 studies on the registry; 192 are open to participants now.
Of its 169 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 133 (79%) have results posted.
Compared within Chronic Pain, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Fibrosis. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Bilirubin
A yellow substance made when red blood cells are broken down, which the liver clears. A high level can mean a problem with the liver or the bile ducts.
Criteria often allow more for people with Gilbert’s syndrome, a harmless inherited condition that raises bilirubin.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will have a two-week run-in period and then 8 weeks of treatment.
Device: Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA)
Participants will have a two-week run-in period and then 8 weeks of sham treatment.
Device: Sham Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA)
Participant will apply TEA at home twice a day (approximately 45 minutes am/pm) for 8 weeks. The top electrode will be placed at an acupuncture point and the electrode patch will be placed vertically. Additionally, participants will agree to allow medical records to be collected, complete various surveys and have follow-up after treatment.
Participant will apply sham TEA at home twice a day (approximately 45 minutes am/pm) for 8 weeks. Sham TEA will be performed via one point on the leg and not on any meridian or acupoints that were used in previous gastrointestinal studies and did not yield any significant effects. Additionally, participants will agree to allow medical records to be collected, complete various surveys and have follow-up after treatment
Retention
Time frame: Approximately day -14, day 1, and day 56
Device adherence
Reported as percent, reported from device utilization logs
Time frame: Approximately week 8
Questionnaire completion
Reported as percent
Time frame: Approximately week 8
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM) score
AIM is a 6-item study-specific Likert battery with scores ranging from 0-5. Higher scores indicate lower acceptability.
Time frame: Approximately week 8 and week 12
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Sep 2029, 36 months later.
Of 1,295 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Chronic Pain, half reached primary completion within 20 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 39. This study's planned 36 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 1,378 studies reached it within 20 months; a quarter within 9 and three quarters within 38.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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