Ear zap may tame brain bleed inflammation
NCT ID NCT04557618
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive device that gently stimulates a nerve in the ear can reduce inflammation and improve recovery in people who have had a spontaneous brain bleed (subarachnoid hemorrhage). Fifty participants will receive either real or sham stimulation. Researchers will measure inflammatory markers in blood and spinal fluid, and check for complications like vasospasm or the need for a shunt.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Auricular vagus nerve stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, drug-free way to reduce brain inflammation and prevent complications after a brain bleed.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study with only 50 participants. The device may not lower inflammation or improve outcomes, and some people may not tolerate the 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 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
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: * Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage Exclusion Criteria: * Trauma-induced subarachnoid hemorrhage * Ongoing chemotherapy * Taking immunosuppressive medications for other medical illnesses * Presence of a pacemaker * Prolonged bradycardia at time of admission
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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
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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Washington University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGSt Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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