Could a vibrating throat patch silence chronic cough?
NCT ID NCT05273190
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a small vibrating device placed on the throat can reduce symptoms of unexplained chronic cough. Adults aged 18 to 88 with a cough lasting more than 8 weeks use the device at home and report changes in cough severity and quality of life. The goal is to see if this non-invasive approach is both usable and effective.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Vibrotactile stimulation device
- What this could lead to
- If effective, this simple, non-invasive device could offer a new way to manage chronic cough without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with 60 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The device may not reduce cough for all users.
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 60 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2021
- Expected to finish
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Jun 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 88 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.
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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: * Adults aged 18-88 * \>8 weeks of cough * Cough visual analogue scale (VAS): Rating of 30 or greater on a 0-100 cough severity scale * Ability to provide informed consent and independently complete questionnaires * Ability to read and speak English Exclusion Criteria: * Electronic implants (e.g., pacemaker) * Currently doing speech therapy for cough * Contraindications to safe or effective VTS device use * No regular access to wifi internet Neuromuscular impairment that may affect cough/laryngeal sensation and/or function (e.g., multiple system atrophy, Parkinson, CVA, vocal fold paralysis or paresis) * Untreated carotid disease * BMI \> 40 (for transmission of VTS through soft tissue) * Current or recent (quit \< 3 months ago) smoking * Known currently infectious cause for cough (e.g., TB, pertussis, COVID) * History of known or suspected aspiration pneumonia * Diagnosis or clinical suspicion of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) * Diagnosis or clinical suspicion of interstitial lung disease (ILD) * Unmanaged reflux * Unmanaged allergies/postnasal drip
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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 study's own enquiry address
This study publishes an address for enquiries. See it below .
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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
Show contact details
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Study contacts
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Contact
Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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University of Minnesota
RECRUITINGMinneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Timing the dose: a new strategy to stop coughing under anesthesia?
- Can a simple breathing test unlock the secrets of chronic cough?
- Could a new dissolving tablet quiet coughs? safety trial begins
- New pill aims to silence chronic cough that Won't quit