Vanderbilt University Medical Center

This study compares three approaches to treating swallowing problems in adults recovering from critical illness: standard care, intensive swallowing exercises, and a device that strengthens breathing muscles. Researchers will measure changes in swallowing safety, cough strength, …

This trial tests whether a daily supplement of calcium-HMB plus vitamin D3 can help adults aged 65 to 85 with type 2 diabetes keep their muscle mass and metabolism while starting semaglutide, a common weight-loss and diabetes medication. Participants take the supplement or a plac…

This study tests whether patients can safely go home within 6 hours of bariatric surgery instead of staying overnight. 200 adults with obesity will be randomly assigned to same-day discharge or overnight stay. The main goal is to see how many need emergency care within a week.

This study tests a drug called 2-HOBA in 20 adults with salt-sensitive high blood pressure. The drug aims to calm overactive immune cells that may worsen blood pressure when salt is eaten. Researchers will measure blood pressure changes and blood vessel health after taking 2-HOBA…

This phase 2 trial tests a dietary supplement called 2-HOBA in 12 adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition where high blood pressure in the lungs strains the heart. Participants take the supplement three times daily for 12 weeks. The study checks if 2-HOBA i…

This study tests whether semaglutide (a GLP-1 drug used for weight loss) is safe for adolescents and young adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) who are also overweight or obese. The main concern is that the drug might reduce muscle mass, which is already weak in DMD. Par…

This trial tests whether adding rapid onsite evaluation (ROSE) during robotic-assisted bronchoscopy improves the diagnosis of peripheral lung lesions. ROSE lets doctors check biopsy samples immediately under a microscope to confirm they contain enough tissue. The study also looks…

This trial tests whether injecting Botox (abobotulinumtoxin-A) into the forehead muscles just before paramedian forehead flap surgery can improve the cosmetic appearance of the resulting scar. Adults with nasal skin cancer defects needing this reconstruction are randomly assigned…

This study tests whether giving the numbing drug lidocaine through an IV during and after major non-cardiac surgery can help patients recover faster and use fewer opioids. About 2,290 adults having elective surgery will be randomly assigned to receive lidocaine or a placebo. Rese…

This study tests if combining a gentle electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) with computer-based memory games can improve thinking and memory in adults over 60 with recurrent depression. Participants will be assigned to one of three groups to compare different combinations of activ…

This study tests whether adding Botox injections to the jaw (masseter) and temple (temporalis) muscles can improve symptoms of facial synkinesis—a condition where facial muscles move involuntarily after nerve injury. Fifty adults will receive standard Botox treatment alone or wit…

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center want to understand how immune cells use glucose, the body's main sugar, during critical illness. They give 25 adult ICU patients an intravenous infusion of a non-radioactive carbon-13 glucose tracer over a few hours. Then they c…

This study tests whether eating a high-salt diet for one week changes the bacteria in your gut and whether those changes relate to how much your blood pressure rises with salt. Adults aged 50 to 70 will eat both a high-salt and a low-salt diet for one week each, in random order. …

This study will test a new type of colonoscope called the Magnetic Flexible Endoscope (MFE) in 6 people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The MFE uses a magnet at its tip, moved by an external robotic arm, to gently travel through the colon. The goal is to see if it can reac…

This study looks at how bariatric surgery affects the liver's energy processing in people with obesity and fatty liver disease. Researchers will use safe, non-radioactive tracer infusions and MRI scans before, during, and six months after surgery to measure changes in liver metab…

This study investigates whether auditory and cognitive training can help adults with cochlear implants understand speech better. Researchers will enroll 100 experienced implant users and randomly assign them to different training programs. The goal is to see if these intervention…

This study will test a new type of eye imaging called OCT in 24 adults who have had a cornea transplant. The goal is to see if the new method can take clearer pictures of the eye to help doctors better detect eye diseases. Participants will have their eyes scanned with the new de…