Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Frequencies for Postoperative Pain (TVNS-PAIN)
Effects of Different Frequencies of Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Postoperative Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial With Preoperative and Postoperative Sessions
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether different frequencies of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) can reduce postoperative pain and opioid consumption in adults undergoing abdominal or urologic surgery. It will also evaluate the effects of tVNS on recovery quality, autonomic function, and treatment safety. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does transauricular vagus nerve stimulation reduce postoperative opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after surgery? Do different stimulation frequencies (high-frequency and low-frequency tVNS) produce different effects on postoperative pain and autonomic responses? Is transauricular vagus nerve stimulation safe and well tolerated in surgical patients?
Researchers will compare high-frequency tVNS, low-frequency tVNS, and sham stimulation (inactive stimulation) to determine their effects on postoperative pain and opioid requirements.
Participants will:
Be randomly assigned to receive high-frequency tVNS, low-frequency tVNS, or sham stimulation.
Receive two 30-minute stimulation sessions, one before anesthesia and one after surgery in the post-anesthesia care unit.
Undergo assessments of postoperative pain, opioid consumption, need for rescue analgesics, postoperative nausea and vomiting, heart rate changes, and quality of recovery.
Be monitored for adverse events related to the intervention during the study period.
A total of 174 participants will be enrolled in this single-center, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial.
調査の概要
状態
詳細な説明
Postoperative pain remains a major challenge in perioperative care and is associated with delayed recovery, increased healthcare utilization, and greater opioid consumption. Despite advances in multimodal analgesia, opioid medications continue to play a central role in postoperative pain management and may be associated with adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, respiratory depression, and prolonged recovery. Therefore, the development of effective non-pharmacological adjunctive strategies is of considerable clinical interest.
Transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve through the external ear. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that vagal stimulation may modulate pain perception through activation of central autonomic pathways, enhancement of descending inhibitory pain mechanisms, and regulation of inflammatory responses. Previous clinical trials have demonstrated promising effects of tVNS on acute and chronic pain conditions, including reductions in postoperative pain scores.
However, the optimal stimulation parameters for perioperative analgesia remain uncertain. In particular, the influence of stimulation frequency on clinical outcomes and autonomic responses has not been adequately investigated. Different stimulation frequencies may activate distinct neural pathways and produce different effects on pain modulation and autonomic regulation.
This study is designed to evaluate the effects of different frequencies of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation applied before and after surgery in adult patients undergoing elective surgical procedures. In addition to assessing postoperative opioid requirements, the study will explore the relationship between autonomic responses and postoperative recovery. The findings may contribute to the optimization of non-pharmacological analgesic strategies and support the incorporation of transauricular vagus nerve stimulation into multimodal perioperative pain management protocols.
研究の種類
入学 (推定)
段階
- 適用できない
連絡先と場所
研究連絡先
- 名前:Rodrigo L Alves, MD, PhD
- 電話番号:71 99961-9818
- メール:rlalves@ufba.br
研究連絡先のバックアップ
- 名前:João Paulo A de Carvalho
- 電話番号:75 98295-3834
- メール:joaoaureliano@ufba.br
研究場所
-
-
Estado de Bahia
-
Salvador、Estado de Bahia、ブラジル、40170-110
- 募集
- Hospital Universitário Professor Edgard Santos, Federal University of Bahia (HUPES-UFBA)
-
コンタクト:
- João Paulo A Carvalho
- 電話番号:75982953834
- メール:joaoaureliano@ufba.br
-
-
参加基準
適格基準
就学可能な年齢
- 大人
健康ボランティアの受け入れ
説明
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults aged 18 to 59 years.
- Undergoing elective abdominal or urologic surgery.
- American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III.
- Able and willing to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of neurological disorders.
- History of psychiatric disorders.
- Inability to understand study procedures.
- Pregnancy.
- Cognitive impairment.
- Communication difficulties that interfere with study assessments.
- Auricular dermatitis or skin lesions at the stimulation site.
- Pre-existing cardiac arrhythmia.
- Chronic opioid use.
- Implanted electronic medical devices, including pacemakers.
研究計画
研究はどのように設計されていますか?
デザインの詳細
- 主な目的:処理
- 割り当て:ランダム化
- 介入モデル:並列代入
- マスキング:トリプル
武器と介入
参加者グループ / アーム |
介入・治療 |
|---|---|
|
実験的:High-Frequency tVNS
Participants will receive active transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) at a frequency of 60-120 Hz.
Stimulation will be applied bilaterally to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve for 30 minutes before anesthesia and for 30 minutes after surgery.
Current intensity will be adjusted between 2 and 6 mA according to participant tolerance.
|
Non-invasive electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve applied bilaterally through ear electrodes.
Stimulation is delivered before anesthesia and after surgery using predefined frequency settings.
|
|
実験的:Low-Frequency tVNS
Participants will receive active transauricular vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) at a frequency of 10-20 Hz.
Stimulation will be applied bilaterally to the auricular branch of the vagus nerve for 30 minutes before anesthesia and for 30 minutes after surgery.
Current intensity will be adjusted between 2 and 6 mA according to participant tolerance.
|
Non-invasive electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve applied bilaterally through ear electrodes.
Stimulation is delivered before anesthesia and after surgery using predefined frequency settings.
|
|
偽コンパレータ:Sham tVNS
Participants will receive sham transauricular vagus nerve stimulation.
The device will be positioned and activated to mimic active treatment, but stimulation will be discontinued shortly after initiation.
Participants will undergo two 30-minute sessions, one before anesthesia and one after surgery, while maintaining blinding to treatment allocation.
|
Sham stimulation delivered using the same device and electrode placement as active stimulation.
The device is activated to mimic treatment but does not deliver therapeutic electrical stimulation.
|
この研究は何を測定していますか?
主要な結果の測定
結果測定 |
メジャーの説明 |
時間枠 |
|---|---|---|
|
Total postoperative opioid consumption during the first 24 hours after surgery
時間枠:24 hours after surgery
|
Total opioid consumption during the first 24 postoperative hours, recorded according to the institutional postoperative analgesia protocol.
|
24 hours after surgery
|
二次結果の測定
結果測定 |
メジャーの説明 |
時間枠 |
|---|---|---|
|
Postoperative pain intensity (VAS)
時間枠:Before stimulation in the post-anesthesia care unit, immediately after stimulation, 2 hours after surgery, and 24 hours after surgery
|
Pain intensity measured using a 100-mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
Pain scores will be assessed at predefined postoperative time points and compared among study groups.
|
Before stimulation in the post-anesthesia care unit, immediately after stimulation, 2 hours after surgery, and 24 hours after surgery
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|
Rescue analgesic use
時間枠:Within 24 hours after surgery
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Number of participants requiring rescue analgesics and total rescue analgesic administration during the first 24 postoperative hours.
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Within 24 hours after surgery
|
|
Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV)
時間枠:Within 24 hours after surgery
|
Incidence of postoperative nausea and/or vomiting and use of rescue antiemetic medication during the postoperative period.
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Within 24 hours after surgery
|
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Heart rate changes
時間枠:Immediately before and immediately after each stimulation session (preoperative and postoperative).
|
Changes in heart rate measured immediately before and immediately after transauricular vagus nerve stimulation sessions as an indicator of autonomic nervous system activity.
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Immediately before and immediately after each stimulation session (preoperative and postoperative).
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Quality of Recovery (QoR-15 Score)
時間枠:Baseline (preoperative) and 24 hours after surgery.
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Quality of postoperative recovery assessed using the 15-item Quality of Recovery questionnaire (QoR-15).
Higher scores indicate better recovery.
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Baseline (preoperative) and 24 hours after surgery.
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Adverse events related to transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation
時間枠:From the first stimulation session until 24 hours after surgery.
|
Incidence of adverse events potentially related to the intervention, including auricular discomfort, skin irritation, headache, bradycardia, hypotension, bronchospasm, or other treatment-related events.
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From the first stimulation session until 24 hours after surgery.
|
協力者と研究者
捜査官
- 主任研究者:Rodrigo M Vieira, MD、Botucatu Medical School, São Paulo State University (UNESP)
研究記録日
主要日程の研究
研究開始 (推定)
一次修了 (推定)
研究の完了 (推定)
試験登録日
最初に提出
QC基準を満たした最初の提出物
最初の投稿 (実際)
学習記録の更新
投稿された最後の更新 (実際)
QC基準を満たした最後の更新が送信されました
最終確認日
詳しくは
本研究に関する用語
追加の関連 MeSH 用語
その他の研究ID番号
- 96691226.0.0000.0049 (レジストリ識別子:8.416.413)
個々の参加者データ (IPD) の計画
個々の参加者データ (IPD) を共有する予定はありますか?
IPD プランの説明
IPD 共有時間枠
IPD 共有アクセス基準
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