- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT06170645
Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Complementary Therapy to Exercise in Chronic Fatigue (PAF-tVNS)
March 29, 2024 updated by: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne
Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Complementary Therapy to Exercise in Chronic Fatigue: Single-center, Controlled, Randomized, Blinded Study
Chronic fatigue is enhanced by adapted physical activity (APA) programs.
Patients consulting on St Etienne hospital and suffering from fibromyalgia and long Covid benefit from a 4-6 week APA program, with 2 sessions per week.
While most patients are improved by these exercise-training programs, for some the benefits remain very modest, and patients describe persistent fatigue.
The literature unanimously describes the necessity of longer APA protocols (8-12 weeks, 2-3 sessions/week) for fatigue reduction in fibromyalgia and long Covid.
However, it seems difficult to adhere to an optimal program as described in the literature for these fatigued patients.
The investigators want to test a device that would both reduce fatigue and improve recovery between APA sessions, in order to gradually reach the recommendations for APA practice.
Transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS) seems to be a promising approach.
Thus, combining an APA intervention with a tVNS protocol could potentiate the expected and now well-known effect of exercise.
Study Overview
Status
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Estimated)
60
Phase
- 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
- Name: David HUPIN, MD
- Phone Number: +33 (0)4 77 82 84 13
- Email: david.hupin@chu-st-etienne.fr
Study Contact Backup
- Name: Hélène RAINGARD, CRA
- Phone Number: +33 (0)4 77 12 08 26
- Email: helene.raingard@chu-st-etienne.fr
Study Locations
-
-
-
Saint-Etienne, France, 42055
- Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Etienne
-
Principal Investigator:
- David HUPIN, MD
-
Sub-Investigator:
- Léonard FEASSON, MD PhD
-
Sub-Investigator:
- Philippe BOIRON, MD
-
Sub-Investigator:
- Frédéric ROCHE, MD PhD
-
Contact:
- David HUPIN, MD
-
Contact:
- Frédéric ROCHE, MD PhD
-
-
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
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
- Older Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patient over 18 years old
- Signature of informed consent
- Confirmed diagnosis of fibromyalgia or long Covid (ACR 2016 criteria and persistent symptoms lasting more than 6 months after a positive RT-PCR test, respectively)
- Persistent fatigue after an exercise rehabilitation program (FSS score > 36)
- Physical inactivity, i.e. <150 minutes per week of physical activity
Exclusion Criteria:
- Pre-existing atrial fibrillation,
- Left ventricular ejection fraction <40%
- Severe heart failure
- Recent stroke or myocardial infarction (<6 months)
- Unilateral or bilateral vagotomy
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
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: Other
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Double
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Patients with active tVNS
Patients consulting on St Etienne hospital and suffering from fibromyalgia and long Covid will be included.
|
An APA program of 12 weeks, 2 sessions of 1h/week for mixed endurance, strengthening and stretching work.
The program can be realized at home or in structure.
After each APA session, a 1h-tVNS session is delivered on the conchae aurea of the left ear, in resting condition.
Parameters of tVNS : frequency 20Hz, impulsion 200ms, amplitude 1mA below the unpleasant sensation level.
|
Sham Comparator: Patients with sham tVNS
Patients consulting on St Etienne hospital and suffering from fibromyalgia and long Covid will be included.
|
An APA program of 12 weeks, 2 sessions of 1h/week for mixed endurance, strengthening and stretching work.
The program can be realized at home or in structure.
After each APA session, a 1h-tVNS session is delivered on the left earlobe, in resting condition.
Parameters of tVNS : frequency 20Hz, impulsion 200ms, amplitude 1mA below the unpleasant sensation level.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Fatigue evaluation assessed by autonomic nervous system activity
Time Frame: Month : 0; 3
|
The root mean square of successive differences in heart rate (in milliseconds) will be measured from a nocturnal Holter ECG recording (Novacor, Paris, France) at the end of the 3-month APA and tVNS programme (month 3) and compared with pre-programme values (inclusion).
|
Month : 0; 3
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
6-minute walk test (6MWT)
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
|
Physical condition assessed by the walking distance covered in the 6MWT, walking distance in m.
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Adult Physical Activity Questionnaire (APAQ)
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
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Physical activity assessed by the APAQ, time spend to physical activity in hours/day.
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Step count per day
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
|
Objective physical activity assessed by step count per day using a Garmin Vivofit 4 activity tracker.
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Ratio of Low Frequency to High Frequency (LF/HF)
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
|
The autonomic balance (sympathetic/parasympathetic) will be analysed by measuring the LF/HF ratio on the basis of a nocturnal Holter ECG recording (Novacor, Paris, France).
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
|
Subjective fatigue assessed by FSS, score from 9 to 63.
The higher the score, the more severe the fatigue is and the more it affects the person's activities.
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Medical Outcome Study Short Form questionnaire (MOS-SF 12)
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
|
Quality of life assessed by the MOS-SF 12 questionnaire , score from 0 to 100.
A low score reflects a perception of poor health, loss of function and the presence of pain.
A high score reflects a perception of good health, absence of functional deficit and pain.
|
Month : 0; 6
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Pittsburgh questionnaire
Time Frame: Month : 0; 6
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Quality of sleep assessed by Pittsburgh questionnaire (score 0 to 21).
The 7 components of the score add up to give an overall score ranging from give an overall score ranging from 0 to 21 points, with 0 meaning that there are no difficulties, and 21 indicating major difficulties.
|
Month : 0; 6
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: David HUPIN, MD, CHU Saint-Etienne
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 (Estimated)
April 1, 2024
Primary Completion (Estimated)
February 1, 2025
Study Completion (Estimated)
August 1, 2025
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
December 6, 2023
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
December 13, 2023
First Posted (Actual)
December 14, 2023
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
April 1, 2024
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
March 29, 2024
Last Verified
March 1, 2024
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- 23CH153
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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