Ear-Zapping device could help kidney Patients' hearts
NCT ID NCT05981183
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study is testing whether a device that gently stimulates a nerve in the ear is safe and tolerable for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Twenty adults with moderate to advanced CKD will use the device for 15 minutes. Researchers will measure heart rate changes and blood pressure to see if the device might help reduce heart risks in the future.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation device (TENS unit)
- What this could lead to
- If this pilot shows promise, it could lead to a larger study testing whether nerve stimulation can reduce heart-related risks in people with chronic kidney disease.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study with only 20 participants. It is designed to test feasibility and safety, not to prove the treatment works. The device may have no meaningful effect.
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 20 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2026
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 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: • Individual 18-80 years of age with CKD stage 3-5 (eGFR \<60 mL/min/1.73m2) on most recent outpatient labs. Exclusion Criteria: * Pacemaker dependent * Prisoners * Pregnant women. A pregnancy test will be offered if a subject is concerned about being pregnant. * Not capable of informed consent * Know autonomic function disorder (e.g. Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction) * ICD or PPM precluding assessment of heart rate variability (e.g. chronic atrial fibrillation) * Recent myocardial infarction (4 weeks or less) * Maintenance dialysis * Epilepsy * Patients on labetalol (labetalol will interfere with catecholamine measurements) * Patients with diabetes * At least 50% of cohort must not be on beta blockers. This will help to distinguish the confounding effects of beta blockers.
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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
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. 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
Locations
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NYU Langone Health
RECRUITINGNew York, New York, 11215, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- A blood test at 50 could flag your risk of five diseases. can an app stop them?
- Two drugs, one goal: can finerenone or semaglutide cut kidney damage markers?
- One team, three conditions: can coordinated care tame heart, kidney, and diabetes?