Can a Muscle-Zapping device help cirrhosis patients get stronger?
NCT ID NCT07162636
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether adding neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to resistance exercises can improve muscle strength and physical performance in hospitalized patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis who have muscle loss (sarcopenia). About 112 participants aged 47–70 will be randomly assigned to receive either NMES plus exercise or exercise alone, six times per week during their hospital stay. Researchers will measure handgrip strength and sit-to-stand tests at admission and discharge to see if the combination therapy works better.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with resistance exercise
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a better rehabilitation method to help hospitalized patients with alcoholic liver cirrhosis regain muscle strength and reduce hospital readmissions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial with only 112 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The intervention is physical therapy, not a drug, so benefits may be modest and depend on patient adherence.
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 112 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2025
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 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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47 to 70 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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Hospitalized participants with alcoholic cirrhosis. Exclusion Criteria: * Five times sit-to-stand test (5xSTS) below the reference value according to the equation 5xSTS = 3.89 + (0.10 x age). * Handgrip strength test (HGS) below 27Kgf for men and 16Kgf for women.
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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 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.
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