Spinal stimulation may tame blood pressure swings after injury

NCT ID NCT05305118

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
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Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

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Status unknown
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First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This trial tests whether transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) can help stabilize blood pressure in people recently hospitalized with a spinal cord injury. After such injuries, blood pressure often swings between dangerously low and high levels, which can interfere with rehabilitation. The study will map stimulation settings and measure blood pressure and heart rate responses during sit-up tests, with and without stimulation, to see if TSCS is safe and feasible.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) - a non-invasive procedure using electrodes on the back to deliver electrical pulses.
What this could lead to
If effective, TSCS could offer a non-drug way to stabilize blood pressure during rehabilitation, potentially improving recovery and reducing complications.
What could go wrong
This is an early feasibility study with a small number of participants. The optimal stimulation parameters are still being mapped, and individual responses may vary. Risks include discomfort or skin irritation from the electrodes.

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

About 50 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Mar 2022

Expected to finish

Jan 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

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

18 to 89 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * All newly injured patients with SCI who are sequentially admitted during the 42-month recruitment period * Meet the following Model Systems entry criteria with evidence of BP instability * Exhibit one or more of the following: Resting hypotension - systolic BP ≤ 110 mmHg for males or ≤ 100 mmHg for females; OH - fall in systolic BP ≥ 20 mmHg and/or a fall in diastolic BP ≥ 10 mmHg within 10 minutes of assuming an upright position; BP instability - fluctuation in systolic BP ≥ 20 mmHg and/or fluctuation in diastolic BP ≥ 10 mmHg within a single day during routine activities in the AIR setting. * Have trouble with your blood pressure as determined by your doctor. * Participants must be between the ages of 18-89 years old, experienced a spinal cord injury (SCI) within the past 30 days to 6 months, have sustained a SCI with temporary or permanent loss of sensory and/or motor function, and are an inpatient for acute SCI rehabilitation therapy at Mount Sinai. * You are not dependent on a ventilator at this time. * You do not have a history of implanted pacemaker/defibrillator or significant coronary artery disease. Exclusion Criteria: * Implanted brain/spine/nerve stimulators, cochlear implants, cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator, or intracardiac lines * Open skin lesions on or near the electrode placement sites (neck, upper back) * Significant coronary artery or cardiac conduction disease * Recent history of myocardial infarction * Insufficient mental capacity to understand and independently provide consent * Pregnancy * Cancer * Deemed unsuitable by study physician As part of the feasibility assessment, the study team will document demographic and injury characteristics of eligible patients who refuse enrollment, as well as reasons for ineligibility among those who do not meet entrance criteria.

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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

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Mount Sinai Spinal Cord Injury Model System

    RECRUITING

    New York, New York, 10029, United States

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