Can tiny electrodes give amputees a better grip on bionic limbs?
NCT ID NCT03260400
First seen Aug 18, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial tests whether short-term implanted electrodes can improve the signals used to control advanced prosthetic arms and hands in people who have had an upper-limb amputation. Participants will have electrodes placed after a regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) surgery, which helps nerves grow into muscle grafts. The study will measure pain levels, signal quality, and electrode stability to see if this approach can make prosthetics more responsive and reduce phantom limb pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a bipolar percutaneous intramuscular electromyography electrode
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could improve how well people with upper-limb amputations control advanced prosthetic arms and hands, potentially easing phantom limb pain and enhancing daily function.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 10 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Risks include electrode migration, tissue degeneration, and surgical complications.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2017
- Expected to finish
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May 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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22 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be 22 years of age or older. * Participants must have previously undergone an upper limb amputation proximal to the wrist or are scheduled to undergo an upper limb amputation proximal to the wrist. * For participants without existing RPNI grafts (at the time of enrollment), the residual limb must have sufficient soft tissue quality to support performance of the RPNI operative procedure. Participants sustaining severe crushing or avulsion injuries with substantial superficial and deep scarring may not be appropriate candidates for inclusion in the study. * Participants must be in good health and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Class I or II (low surgical risk). * Participants must have reliable transportation. * Participants must be able to attend at minimum 6 hours of experiments per month while electrodes remain implanted. * Participants must be at least 6 months post-amputation. * Participants who will receive an amputation at the same time as RPNI grafts and electrodes must be undergoing an elective amputation surgery where loss of useful function of the hand has occurred. They must be at least 6 months post-injury or failed limb salvage to participate. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants may not be suffering from any severe pain syndrome including complex regional pain syndrome or severe phantom pain. All of these conditions would suggest pathological activity of the nerve and would exclude the participant from participation. * Participants must not be suffering from any untreated mental health disorders and if they have any DSM-5 diagnoses, they must receive approval to participate from their mental health professional. * Participants must not have any medical conditions that, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, would place them at high risk for a surgical procedure including recent myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolus, uncontrolled diabetes, or end stage renal disease. * Participants must not have used tobacco for at least one month prior to enrollment in the study. * Participants must agree to not use tobacco for the duration of the study. * Participants cannot have sustained bilateral upper extremity amputation. * Participants cannot be pregnant. * Participants must not have other indwelling electronic implants like pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, implantable neurostimulators, body worn insulin pumps, or body worn patient monitoring devices. * Participants must not have severe peripheral vascular occlusive disease, venous hypertension of the extremity, or severe lymphedema of the extremity. * Participants must not have an autoimmune condition which is not well controlled by medication. * Participants will not be considered for enrollment in Primary Upper Limb Amputation with RPNI Grafts and Electrode Implantation if their amputation is a traumatic injury or cancer related
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
RECRUITINGAnn Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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