Ear zap during heart surgery may ward off Post-Op delirium
NCT ID NCT07476742
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a device that gently stimulates a nerve in the ear during heart surgery. The goal is to see if it lowers the chance of postoperative delirium, anxiety, and depression. About 270 adults having elective heart surgery will be randomly assigned to receive real or sham stimulation. Neither the patients nor the doctors will know who gets which treatment.
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 (taVNS) device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, non-drug way to prevent confusion and mood problems after heart surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with no phase, so results are uncertain. The effect may be small or no better than sham stimulation.
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 270 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Feb 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2027
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 85 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: * Aged 18 to 85 years. Scheduled for elective cardiac surgery (e.g., CABG, valve replacement/repair). NYHA cardiac function class I-III. Willing and able to provide informed consent. Expected surgery duration ≥ 2 hours. Exclusion Criteria: * Preoperative MMSE score \< 24; severe communication barriers. History of diagnosed delirium, dementia, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or long-term use of psychotropic drugs. Skin lesions, infection, or deformity of bilateral ears; history of ear surgery or nerve injury; allergy to electrode materials. Severe arrhythmia; implanted electronic devices (e.g., pacemaker, ICD). Participation in another interventional trial within 3 months. Other conditions deemed unsuitable by investigators.
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Beijing, China
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