Zap to heal: electric boost for nerve repair?
NCT ID NCT06867185
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether giving a 10-minute electrical stimulation to a repaired finger nerve during surgery can speed up healing and improve sensation. Sixty adults aged 18-80 with a cut digital nerve will receive either standard surgical repair alone or with added electrical stimulation. Researchers will measure how well patients regain feeling and pain levels over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- brief electrical stimulation therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could lead to faster and better recovery of feeling after finger nerve repair surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 60 participants. The electrical stimulation may not speed up healing more than standard surgery alone.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2025
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
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 to 80 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: * Age 18-80 years * Candidate for surgical intervention under general anesthesia. * Require primary nerve injury repair in at least 1 digital nerve. * Following resection, have a resulting nerve gap of ≤ 10mm. * Able to complete tension-free end-to-end direct repair, or repair with a conduit, autograft, or allograft with a length ≤15mm * Signed and dated informed consent form. Exclusion Criteria: * Severe comorbid conditions, such as arrhythmia or congestive heart failure, preventing surgery under general anesthesia. * Nerve repair occurring \>1 month post-injury. * Incomplete nerve transection. * Injury requiring replantation of target digit * Injury distal to the distal interphalangeal joint. * Injury proximal to branching into the proper or common digital nerves. * Injuries to both digital arteries of an affected digit. * History of neuropathy, diabetic neuropathy, or any other known neuropathy * History of chronic ischemic condition of the upper extremity * Cognitive impairment preventing the ability to provide consent, follow post-operative instructions, or complete clinical assessments.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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 study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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The places running it
5 sites. 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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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Harborview Medical Center - University of Washington
RECRUITINGSeattle, Washington, 98104, United States
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Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center
RECRUITINGIndianapolis, Indiana, 46260, United States
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The Ohio State Univeristy - Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
RECRUITINGColumbus, Ohio, 43212, United States
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University of Missouri Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
RECRUITINGColumbia, Missouri, 65212, United States
Contact Email: •••••@•••••
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Washington University in St Louis, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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