Feasibility of Upper Airway Stimulation in OSA

February 5, 2026 updated by: Notos Medical Limited

Feasibility of Non-invasive Electrical Nerve Stimulation of the Upper Airway in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnoea

Project Breathe 1 is a short-duration (5 month) pilot investigation to assess the safety and tolerability of non-invasive electrical stimulation in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea. The investigation is an unblinded, uncontrolled, single arm design.

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.
15

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

  • Belgium
      • Edegem, Belgium, 2650
        • Recruiting
        • Antwerp University Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Johan Verbraecken

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:

  • Obstructive sleep apnoea diagnosis with an AHI of 15-50 events/hour recorded in the baseline polysomnography (PSG)
  • BMI < 32 kg/m²
  • Age > 18 years old
  • Able to read, write, and speak Dutch with acceptable visual and auditory acuity
  • Able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a cardiac pacemaker or implantable cardiac defibrillator or ventriculoperitoneal shunt
  • Central (non-obstructive) AHI episodes >5 events/hour recorded in the baseline PSG
  • Inability to sleep supine
  • Pregnancy
  • Inability to undergo DISE
  • Inability or unwillingness to shave under and around their chin and neck if appropriate
  • Known inability to complete PSG with a total sleep time of > 4 hours
  • The use of other neurostimulatory devices
  • A diagnosis of periodic leg movement disorder
  • Awake resting arterial oxygen saturation <93% (suggesting possible hypoventilation)
  • Unstable, untreated coronary or peripheral artery disease
  • Severe arterial hypertension defined as a resting blood pressure (BP) of >180/110mmHg
  • Currently employed as a professional driver
  • Any previous sleep-related driving accident
  • A past or current condition that in the opinion of the investigator contraindicates enrolment (e.g. chronic substance abuse, severe psychiatric disorders)

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: N/A
  • 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: Non-invasive electrical stimulation of the upper airway
Participants will have bilateral non-invasive electrical stimulation of the submandibular region while undergoing a polysomnography assessment and during drug induced sleep endoscopy.
Device: Non-invasive electrical stimulation
The non-invasive electrical stimulation components will consist of two Digitimer DS5 isolated current stimulators, voltage control by an NI-9262 module, and two pairs of adhesive electrodes placed in the submandibular region.
Other Names:
  • Breathe Study System

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
Tolerability of non-invasive electrical stimulation of the upper airway during sleep
Time Frame: Night 1
The proportion of participants who are able to tolerate 80% of their maximum awake tolerated dose during sleep.
Night 1

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
Arousals
Time Frame: Night 1
Number of arousals during sleep when patient is undergoing non-invasive electrical stimulation of the upper airway during respiratory events.
Night 1
Subjective awareness of stimulation during sleep
Time Frame: Night 1
Number of actual stimulation events compared to number of events felt by the participant. Number of subjective events will be determined post-sleep.
Night 1

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Respiratory disturbance index
Time Frame: Baseline, Night 1
Number of arousals from respiratory events. Only arousals during which stimulation was initiated will be included.
Baseline, Night 1
Apnoea-Hypopnoea Index
Time Frame: Baseline, Night 1
Number of apneas and hypopneas per hour of sleep.
Baseline, Night 1
Oxygen desaturation index
Time Frame: Baseline, Night 1
Number of desaturations (drop in oxygen saturation >3%) per hour of sleep
Baseline, Night 1
Drug induced sleep endoscopy
Time Frame: Day 3
The VOTE classification system defines the degree of upper airway collapse at the level of the Velum (V), Oropharynx (O), Tongue (T) and Epiglottis (E). Collapse will be defined as either complete obstruction (2), partial obstruction (1) or no obstruction (0) at each level, and the pattern of collapse will be described at each level (antero-posterior for VTE, lateral for VOE, or concentric for V). Scoring will be conducted by three Investigators blinded to treatment allocation (i.e. baseline or with electrical stimulation). The three expert Investigators will review and come to consensus on scoring for each video.
Day 3

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.
Notos Medical Limited

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: Johan Verbraecken, Universiteit Antwerpen

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.
January 29, 2026

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.
July 1, 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.
July 1, 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).
January 20, 2026

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.
February 5, 2026

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.
February 9, 2026

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.
February 9, 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.
February 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.
February 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.
  • CIV-25-10-054794
  • Project Breathe 1 (Other Identifier: Notos Medical Limited)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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