Ear-Zapping device could tame brain swelling after stroke
NCT ID NCT06918964
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a device that gently stimulates a nerve in the ear can help people recovering from a brain bleed. The device is placed on the left ear and delivers mild electrical pulses for 30 minutes, twice a day, for 10 days. Researchers will measure brain swelling and check for side effects in 186 participants.
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
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a non-invasive way to reduce brain swelling after a hemorrhagic stroke, potentially improving recovery.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with a moderate number of participants. The effect on long-term outcomes is unknown, and the device may not reduce swelling as hoped.
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
-
About 186 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 80 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: 1. Patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage. 2. Age between 18 and 80 years. 3. Onset within 72 hours. 4. Hematoma volume between 5 and 40 mL. 5. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score greater than 8. 6. Written informed consent obtained from the patient or their legal representative. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Secondary intracerebral hemorrhage (e.g., traumatic, tumor-related, vascular malformation, aneurysm, or coagulopathy-related). 2. Primary intraventricular hemorrhage. 3. Parenchymal hemorrhage that ruptures into the ventricles, with blood completely filling one lateral ventricle, the third ventricle, the fourth ventricle or more than half of both lateral ventricles. 4. Progressive neurological or other severe diseases. 5. Planned surgical treatment within 24 hours. 6. Pre-existing disability caused by previous illnesses: Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≥ 3. 7. Patients with severe cardiomyopathy, heart failure, pacemaker implantation, atrial fibrillation, frequent premature beats, second-degree or higher atrioventricular block, or other severe arrhythmias. 8. Severe pulmonary disease, liver disease, renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate \< 30 mL/min), active gastrointestinal bleeding, or malignant tumors with an expected survival of less than 3 months. 9. Patients with hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, syncope, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, or other known disorders affecting autonomic nervous function. 10. Use of medications that interfere with autonomic function (e.g., beta-blockers, theophylline, tricyclic antidepressants, or steroids) within 7 days before screening. 11. Patients who cannot tolerate taVNS. 12. Congenital or acquired ear abnormalities preventing taVNS treatment. 13. Inability to comply with 10 days of treatment. 14. Pregnancy or within 30 days of delivery. 15. Participation in another interventional clinical trial. 16. Inability to obtain written informed consent from the participant or their legal representative.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Intracerebral hemorrhage are added.
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.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
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
-
Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University
RECRUITINGBeijing, Beijing Municipality, 100070, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a web program rebuild memory after brain injury?
- Portable MRI could speed up stroke treatment
- Can a herbal formula match traditional medicine for brain bleeds?
- Can a blood marker tell fever from infection in stroke?
- Can blood markers predict brain injury outcomes?
- Can an ancient herbal pill improve outcomes after a bleeding stroke?