Ear zaps may tweak heart rhythms, tiny study hints
NCT ID NCT05350150
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small pilot study is testing whether a gentle, non-invasive electrical stimulation on the ear (auricular vagus nerve stimulation) can change how the heart's electrical system works. Ten people who are already scheduled for a heart procedure will receive the stimulation while doctors measure various heart timing intervals. The goal is simply to learn more about how the vagus nerve affects the heart's electrical pathways, not to treat any condition.
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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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jul 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 years and older
- 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: * Primary indication for EPS for the evaluation of cardiac conduction system or supraventricular tachycardia. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous EPS with ablation * Previous failed ablation * Known conduction system disease, right or left bundle branch block on EKG * Pregnant women * History of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome * Patients who have had prior cervical vagotomy * Patients with skin on the tragus that is broken or cracked * Patients with a history of baseline cardiac disease or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, including congestive heart failure (CHF), known severe coronary artery disease or recent myocardial infarction (within 5 years) and patients diagnosed with narrowing of the arteries (carotid atherosclerosis) * Patients with an active implantable medical device, such as a cardiac pacemaker, hearing aid implant, or any implanted metallic, implanted vagus nerve stimulator or electronic device.
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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
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Kristie Coleman
New York, New York, 10075, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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