Could a simple electrical patch ease pain and depression in liver disease?
NCT ID NCT06932783
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 02, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study is testing whether a device that delivers mild electrical stimulation through the skin (called TEA) can help with chronic pain and depression in people with cirrhosis. Thirty participants will use the device at home twice daily for 8 weeks, or a sham version. The main goal is to see if the treatment is acceptable and practical, not yet to prove it works.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation (TEA) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a safe, non-drug way to manage pain and depression in people with cirrhosis.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 30 participants. It is designed to test if the device is acceptable and usable, not yet whether it truly works for pain or depression.
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
-
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 35 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
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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18 years and older
- 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: * Diagnosis of cirrhosis - must meet the criteria as outlined in the protocol * Chronic pain (Patient self-reports ≥ 4 on the 0-10 scale for \>50% of days within 3- months) * Depression (in at least half of participants) - must meet the criteria as outlined in the protocol * English speaking * Willing to use a Transcutaneous Electrical Acustimulation device Exclusion Criteria: * Dementia and/or severe cognitive impairment * Unable or unwilling to provide consent * Expected to undergo liver transplant in next 24 weeks * No email address * Deemed unsuitable by the study investigator
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can bedside ultrasound guide fluid treatment for cirrhosis patients?