Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Device in CKD Population

December 29, 2025 updated by: NYU Langone Health

A Single Center Pilot Study on the Use of a Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Device in CKD Population

The purpose of this pilot interventional study is to collect preliminary data on the application of a transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) device in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This data will enhance understanding of the short-term safety, tolerability and effects of this novel therapeutic approach in the setting of CKD. The primary aims are to investigate the feasibility of the protocol and generate preliminary signals of efficacy and tolerability for two different doses of vagal nerve stimulation. The pilot estimates will be used to design a larger scale study that may lead to potentially targeted interventions to reduce cardiovascular (CV) mortality in the CKD population.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

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 (Estimated)

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.
20

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 11215
        • Recruiting
        • NYU Langone Health

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:

• Individual 18-80 years of age with CKD stage 3-5 (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m2) on most recent outpatient labs.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pacemaker dependent
  • Prisoners
  • Pregnant women. A pregnancy test will be offered if a subject is concerned about being pregnant.
  • Not capable of informed consent
  • Know autonomic function disorder (e.g. Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction)
  • ICD or PPM precluding assessment of heart rate variability (e.g. chronic atrial fibrillation)
  • Recent myocardial infarction (4 weeks or less)
  • Maintenance dialysis
  • Epilepsy
  • Patients on labetalol (labetalol will interfere with catecholamine measurements)
  • Patients with diabetes
  • At least 50% of cohort must not be on beta blockers. This will help to distinguish the confounding effects of beta blockers.

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: Single Group 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: Intervention A
Participants will receive 15 minutes of taVNS after an initial 15 minute rest-period and a 15 minute baseline measurement period. For participants assigned to Intervention A, the pulse width = 250 μs, and frequency = 50 Hz.
Device: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit (TENS)
The TENS unit will be applied to participants' right ear at the cymba conchae. The dose is dependent on which arm (Intervention A or Intervention B) the participant is assigned to. Participants will undergo 15 minutes of vagal nerve stimulation.
Other Names:
  • TENS Device 7000
Experimental: Intervention B
Participants will receive 15 minutes of taVNS after an initial 15 minute rest-period and a 15 minute baseline measurement period. For participants assigned to Intervention B, the pulse width = 300 μs, frequency = 25 Hz.
Device: Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit (TENS)
The TENS unit will be applied to participants' right ear at the cymba conchae. The dose is dependent on which arm (Intervention A or Intervention B) the participant is assigned to. Participants will undergo 15 minutes of vagal nerve stimulation.
Other Names:
  • TENS Device 7000

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
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) at Baseline
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
HRV is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats.
Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
HRV at Post-Intervention
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
HRV is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats.
Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)

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
Percentage of Participants with at least a 20% change in HRV from baseline to post-intervention
Time Frame: Day 1 (Up to 15 Minutes Post-Intervention)
The percentage of participants whose measured HRV changes by more than 20% from the baseline measurement to the post-intervention measurement.
Day 1 (Up to 15 Minutes Post-Intervention)
Blood Pressure at Baseline
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Blood pressure measured continuously for 15 minutes prior to intervention.
Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Blood Pressure at Post-Intervention
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
Blood pressure measured continuously for 15 minutes post-intervention.
Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
Spontaneous Baroreceptor Sensitivity (BRS) at Baseline
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Spontaneous BRS is defined as the change in interbeat interval (IBI) in milliseconds per unit change in blood pressure.
Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Spontaneous BRS at Post-Intervention
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
Spontaneous BRS is defined as the change in interbeat interval (IBI) in milliseconds per unit change in blood pressure.
Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
Heart Rate at Baseline
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Day 1 (15 minutes prior to administration of intervention)
Heart Rate at Post-Intervention
Time Frame: Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)
Day 1 (15 minutes Post-Intervention)

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.
NYU Langone Health

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: David Charytan, MD, NYU Langone Health

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.
August 9, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 7, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
January 7, 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).
August 1, 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.
August 1, 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.
August 8, 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.
December 31, 2025

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.
December 29, 2025

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.
June 1, 2025

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.
  • 23-00778

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The de-identified participant data from the final research dataset used in the published manuscript will be shared upon reasonable request beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research provided the investigator who proposes to use the data executes a data use agreement with NYU Langone Health. Requests may be directed to: David.Charytan@nyulangone.org. The protocol and statistical analysis plan will be made available on Clinicaltrials.gov only as required by federal regulation or as a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The investigator who proposed to use the data will be provided access upon reasonable request. Requests should be directed to David.Charytan@nyulangone.org. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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.

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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