Ear zapper may ease debilitating vomiting episodes
NCT ID NCT03434652
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tested a small device that stimulates nerves in the ear to help people with cyclic vomiting syndrome, a condition causing repeated bouts of severe nausea and vomiting. Forty-seven children and adults used the device either during an episode or daily for six weeks. Researchers measured changes in nausea, vomiting, and pain to see if the device could provide relief.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- percutaneous electrical nerve field stimulator (ear device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a non-drug option to reduce nausea and vomiting during episodes of cyclic vomiting syndrome.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 47 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device may not work better than a sham (placebo) treatment.
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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47 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2018
- Finished
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Mar 2021
- 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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8 to 65 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: * Meeting Rome IV Pediatric or Adult criteria for Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) * Concurrent abdominal pain with CVS cycle * English-speaking * Lack of other explanation for symptoms * Either predictable, 'calendar-timed' episodes or prodromal symptoms for 12-24 hours that are predictive of episodes onset Exclusion Criteria: * Medically complex and/or suffering from medical condition that may explain symptoms * Taking a medication that may explain symptoms * Significant developmental delays * Patients treated with a new drug affecting the central nervous system within one week of enrollment * Infection or severe dermatological condition of ear * Stable vital signs * No currently implanted electrical device * For adults (and adolescents as applicable): pregnancy, severe cardiopulmonary disease, concurrent chronic marijuana use (\>2 times/month over past 6 months prior to enrollment)
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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
-
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
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