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Essential Oils for Anxiety Disorders during Electrocautery

N/A
Waitlist Available
Led By Murad Alam, MD
Research Sponsored by Northwestern University
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Receiving same day cutaneous surgical procedure that requires electrocautery per protocol
>18 years of age
Must not have
Participants who are unable to communicate or cooperate with the investigator due to language problems, poor mental development, or impaired cerebral function are not eligible
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up immediately after surgery

Summary

This trial is testing whether aromatherapy might help reduce the smell of burnt flesh from electrocautery and improve patient anxiety and discomfort during dermatologic surgery.

Who is the study for?
This trial is for adults over 18 in good health who are undergoing skin surgery with electrocautery in the Chicago area. They must be able to understand and sign a consent form. People can't join if they can't hold an aromatherapy device during surgery or have communication issues due to language barriers or mental impairment.
What is being tested?
The study is testing whether essential oil aromatherapy can reduce the smell of burnt flesh from electrocautery, aiming to lower patient anxiety and discomfort. Participants will either receive no aroma (sham control) or aromatherapy randomly and then answer a questionnaire about their experience.
What are the potential side effects?
Since this trial involves aromatherapy, potential side effects may include allergic reactions or irritation from the oils, headaches, nausea, or other mild discomforts related to scent sensitivity.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below
Select...
I am scheduled for a skin surgery today that will use electric current.
Select...
I am older than 18 years.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:
Select...
I can communicate and cooperate with the investigator without issues.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~immediately after surgery
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and immediately after surgery for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Patient reported anxiety State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6)
Self-reported perceptions of cautery smell on a 4-point likert scale

Trial Design

2Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Placebo Group
Group I: AromatherapyExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Group II: ShamPlacebo Group1 Intervention

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

Northwestern UniversityLead Sponsor
1,645 Previous Clinical Trials
958,483 Total Patients Enrolled
20 Trials studying Anxiety
14,462 Patients Enrolled for Anxiety
Murad Alam, MDPrincipal InvestigatorNorthwestern University
69 Previous Clinical Trials
2,469 Total Patients Enrolled
1 Trials studying Anxiety
135 Patients Enrolled for Anxiety

Media Library

No Essential Oil Clinical Trial Eligibility Overview. Trial Name: NCT04260867 — N/A
Anxiety Research Study Groups: Sham, Aromatherapy
Anxiety Clinical Trial 2023: No Essential Oil Highlights & Side Effects. Trial Name: NCT04260867 — N/A
No Essential Oil 2023 Treatment Timeline for Medical Study. Trial Name: NCT04260867 — N/A
~23 spots leftby Nov 2025