Promoting Healing of Injured Nerves With Electrical Stimulation Therapy (PHINEST)

August 26, 2026 updated by: Checkpoint Surgical Inc.
This study is evaluating a new therapeutic use of electrical stimulation to promote nerve healing and improve functional recovery following surgical intervention for peripheral nerve injury in arm. Participants will be randomized into one of two groups, treatment or control, with all participants receiving standard of care treatment for the nerve injury. The treatment group will also receive a single dose of the therapeutic stimulation during the surgical intervention for their nerve injury.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

Preliminary research has shown that delivering a brief period of electrical stimulation following nerve repair promotes nerve healing and functional recovery. This pilot study is investigating the use of a single dose of therapeutic electrical stimulation to promote nerve healing. The therapy is delivered as part of the surgical intervention to address peripheral nerve injury in the arm.

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.
13

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43212
        • The Ohio State Univeristy - Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Upper extremity mixed or motor nerve injury from the brachial plexus to the wrist crease.
  • Candidate for surgical intervention.
  • Indicated for surgical repair by nerve transfer, primary repair, or nerve grafting.
  • Are age 18-80 years.
  • Signed and dated informed consent form.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe comorbid condition, such as arrhythmia or congestive heart failure, preventing surgery.
  • Primary repair requiring graft >6cm.
  • Nerve reconstruction occurring >12 months post injury.
  • Age less than 18 or greater than 80 years.
  • All contraindications to included/required surgical procedure, including but not limited to language barriers, mental status barriers, inability to consent, and pregnancy/lactation.

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: Double

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: Brief Electrical Stimulation Therapy
Single, 10 minute dose of electrical stimulation delivered to the injured nerve during surgical intervention.
Device: Checkpoint BEST System
Single use medical device, consisting of electric stimulator and intraoperative lead. Therapy consists of single, 10 minute dose delivered proximal to site of decompression/repair
Other Names:
  • Brief Electrical Stimulation (BES) Therapy
No Intervention: Standard of Care
Surgical intervention for repair of peripheral nerve injury.

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
Change in Motor Recovery assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC) motor grading
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Grading of muscle strength on 0 to 5 scale, with higher score representing greater function.
Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months

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
Grip Strength
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Maximum grip strength.
Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Lateral Pinch Strength
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Maximum lateral pinch.
Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
2-point discrimination
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Evaluation of sensory function, measuring tactile discrimination.
Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Semmes-Weinstein Monofilament Testing
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Evaluation of sensory function, measuring pressure detection threshold.
Pre-surgery, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Patient Reported Outcome Measurement System (PROMIS) Upper Extremity Function
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Questionnaire providing patient reported estimate of upper extremity function on a 0-100 scale with >50 representing greater normal function.
Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Patient Reported Outcome Measurement System (PROMIS) Pain Interference
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Questionnaire providing patient reported estimate of interference of pain on daily activities on a 0-100 scale with >50 representing greater than normal pain interference on daily activities.
Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
quick Disabilities of thee Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) questionnaire
Time Frame: Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Questionnaire providing patient reported estimate upper extremity function. The score ranges from 0 (no disability) to 100 (most severe disability).
Pre-surgery, 10 days, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, 12 months, 15 months, and 18 months
Electromyography (EMG)
Time Frame: 4 months, 6 months, and 8 months
Measurement of the electrical activity in a muscle.
4 months, 6 months, and 8 months
Motor Unit Number Estimation (MUNE)
Time Frame: 4 months, 6 months, and 8 months
Estimate of the number of motor units within the muscle based on recorded electrical activity.
4 months, 6 months, and 8 months

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.
Checkpoint Surgical Inc.

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs

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: Amy M Moore, MD, Ohio State University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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.
June 12, 2023

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.
May 13, 2026

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.
May 13, 2026

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).
May 19, 2023

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.
May 30, 2023

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.
June 1, 2023

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.
August 28, 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.
August 26, 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.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 0153-CSP-002
  • W81XWH1920065 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Department of Defense USAMRAA)

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

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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