Ear zap device could help clear hospital confusion
NCT ID NCT07258082
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early study tests whether a non-invasive device that gently stimulates a nerve in the ear (taVNS) is safe and practical for ICU patients with delirium—a state of confusion that can slow recovery. Ten right-handed adults with delirium will receive 30-minute sessions twice daily for up to 7 days, alongside usual care. Researchers will monitor side effects, brain signals, and oxygen levels to see if the approach is feasible and well-tolerated.
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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Sep 2025
- Expected to finish
-
Oct 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
-
22 years and older
- 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: * Stony Brook University Hospital inpatient, Age \> 22 * Right- handed * Screen positive for delirium on ICDSC instrument Exclusion Criteria: * Severe neurologic disability including severe traumatic brain injury, severe permanent cognitive impairment * Pacemaker present * Implanted VNS stimulator present * Personal history of epilepsy * Facial or ear pain or trauma * Recent history of substance abuse * Any other medical condition that, in the judgment of the investigator, makes participation in the study unsafe. * Weight \< 40kg * Pregnant females * Intubated patient
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Delirium 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
-
Stony Brook University Hospital
RECRUITINGStony Brook, New York, 11794, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Could a quieter, dimmer ICU protect Patients' brains?
- Can a daily supplement shield the brain after delirium?
- Brain surgery delirium: can real-time monitoring protect older patients?
- Could daylight hold the key to preventing delirium?
- Can sensory therapy calm Dementia-Related agitation in hospitals?
- A new care routine aims to shield aging hearts and minds in the ICU