Neuromodulation to Regulate Inflammation and Autonomic Imbalance in Sepsis

Recruiting now · Not applicable · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Septic Shock

In brief

Sepsis is life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. It is the most expensive healthcare condition to treat in United States and has a mortality rate of nearly 30%. It is widely known that exaggerated inflammation and imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) contribute to progression and adverse outcomes in sepsis. The role of unchecked inflammation and unregulated ANS as a potential treatment target is an important gap in our knowledge that should be explored. Cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) is an intricate network where the ANS senses inflammation by vagus nerve afferents and tries to regulate it by vagus nerve efferents to the reticuloendothelial system. The central hypothesis of this pilot clinical trial is that transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (TVNS) at tragus of the external ear can activate the CAP to suppress inflammation and improve autonomic imbalance as measured by inflammatory cytokine levels and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. The investigators plan to randomize patients with septic shock into active and sham stimulation groups and study the effects of vagal stimulation on inflammatory cytokines, HRV and a clinical severity score of sepsis. Both groups will continue to receive the standard of care treatment for sepsis irrespective of group assignments. The investigators hypothesize that 4 hours of TVNS will suppress inflammatory markers and improve the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of ANS as measured by HRV, resulting in improved Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score (SOFA). The preliminary data generated from this pilot study will lay the foundation for a larger clinical trial.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT03992378

Run by

University of Oklahoma

People needed

34

Starts

2019-10-10

Expected to finish

2027-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-01

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Septic shock (meeting severe sepsis and having persistent systolic blood pressure <90mmHg despite adequate fluid resuscitation).

You may not qualify if…

• Unilateral or bilateral vagotomy
• History of myocardial infarction or stroke in the last 1 year
• Recurrent vasovagal syncope
• Sick sinus syndrome without pacemaker
• Bifascicular heart block
• 2nd or 3rd-degree heart block
• Hypotension due to autonomic dysfunction
• Pregnant women
• Prisoners and patients with suicidal ideation

Where it is running

• University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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