BRIDGE Device for Post-operative Pain Control (BRIDGE)

May 5, 2026 updated by: Duke University

Auricular Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Field Stimulation (PENFS) Using the BRIDGE Device for Post-Operative Pain Control in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation

Auricular neurostimulation is a potential novel and non-invasive method of pain control following liver transplantation in a growing patient population with the probability of significant impact on economics and morbidity. The investigators propose a pilot study to investigate the effects of auricular neurostimulation in patients receiving a liver transplantation. The investigator will investigate the effects of auricular neurostimulation with this novel device and compare it to the current standard of care for pain management following liver transplantation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Terminated

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is a prospective, randomized study to determine the efficacy of the BRIDGE device in reducing pain and opioid use in patients following liver transplantation. Subjects will be randomized in a 1:1 ration to one of the below groups:

Group 1: BRIDGE device will be placed prior to start of the surgery with standard of care pain control analgesia

Group 2: Subjects will receive the standard of care pain control analgesia

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
27

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
        • Duke University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Inclusion criteria:

    • ≥18 years of age but <70 years of age
    • Actively listed for isolated liver transplantation
    • Subject or legally authorized representative able to sign informed consent
    • Not currently treated with opioids or any medications that may interact with opioids
    • English speaking
    • Willing and able to participate and consent to this study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of acute liver failure or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
  • Anticipated that the subject will require a new roux-en-y hepaticojejunostomy
  • Current use of opioid use or other substance abuse.
  • Chronic pain disorders
  • Need for regional anesthesia (regional nerve blocks or epidurals)
  • Adhesive allergy/sensitivity
  • Subject admitted to the ICU at the time of transplant

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Group 1
BRIDGE device will be placed prior to start of the surgery with standard of care pain control analgesia
Device: BRIDGE device
an externally placed, FDA-cleared device that delivers percutaneous electrical stimulation with alternating frequencies to branches of cranial nerves (V, VII, IX, and X) through the external ear via a field effect
No Intervention: Group 2
Subjects will receive the standard of care pain control analgesia

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Opioid Usage After Surgery as Measured by Total Milligrams of Morphine or Equivalent (MEQ)
Time Frame: up to day 30
Comparison between study groups (BRIDGE device vs. Standard of Care)
up to day 30

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain Level
Time Frame: up to day 30
Evaluation of the pain score in the two groups (SOC and with device) at the end of surgery. The Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) ranges from 0-10, and higher scores indicate greater pain.
up to day 30
Reduction in Nausea Scores as Measured by a 4-item Questionnaire Response
Time Frame: up to day 30
Determination of the intensity of nausea in the two groups (SOC and with device). Clinically important PONV is defined as a total score ≥50 at any time throughout the study period. Scale is 0 to infinity.
up to day 30
Reduction in Vomiting Scores as Measured by a 4-item Questionnaire Response
Time Frame: up to day 30
Determination of the intensity of vomiting in the two groups (SOC and with device) using the Simplified Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting Impact Scale, where the choices are: No, Sometimes, Often of most of the time, and All of the time.
up to day 30
Reduction in Time for Return of Bowel Function as Measured by Length to Time of Bowel Functioning Return.
Time Frame: up to day 5
Evaluation of return of bowel function noting day of bowel movement occurrence in both groups.
up to day 5
Incidence of Post-operative Ileus Will be Measured by Number of Participants Who Need Nasogastric Decompression for >48 Hours
Time Frame: up to 48 hours
Determination of the presence of an ileus in the two groups (SOC and with device)
up to 48 hours
Number of Participants Who Reported Post-operative Mobility Issues as Measured by the Patient Symptom Surveys
Time Frame: up to 30 days
Determination of mobility with in the two groups (SOC and with device)
up to 30 days
Average Length of Hospital Stay
Time Frame: up to 30 days
Determination of length of hospital stay with in the two groups (SOC and with device)
up to 30 days
Time to Physical Function
Time Frame: 24 hours after device has been removed
Time to physical function measured by survey
24 hours after device has been removed
Incidence of Complications
Time Frame: 24 hours after device has been removed
Complications related to pain control after the device is removed.
24 hours after device has been removed
Number of Participants Who Were Re-hospitalized
Time Frame: up to 30 days
up to 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Duke University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Alicia Mavis, MD, Duke Universtity

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 12, 2018

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 3, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 3, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 22, 2017

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 25, 2017

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 29, 2017

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Pro00084620

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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