Pivotal Study of VNS During Rehab After Stroke (VNS-REHAB)

Upper Extremity Paresis Clinical Trial

— VNS-REHAB  

Official title:

A Pivotal Randomized Study Assessing Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) During Rehabilitation for Improved Upper Limb Motor Function After Stroke (VNS-REHAB)

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03131960
• Other study ID #: MT-St-03
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: July 1, 2017
• Est. completion date: June 30, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: July 2022
• Source: MicroTransponder Inc.
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This is a pivotal phase study of up to 120 subjects and 15 clinical sites. All subjects are implanted with the Vivistim System® and then randomized to either study treatment or active-control treatment. The randomization will be stratified by age (<30, >30) and baseline FMA UE (20 to <35; >35 to 50). Study treatment is vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) delivered during rehabilitation. Active control treatment is rehabilitation (standard-of-care treatment) with only a minimal amount of VNS at the start of each session intended to support blinding.

Description:

This study has three distinct stages: Stage I, an acute blinded stage, Stage II, an unblinded stage through one year of standard VNS, and Stage III, an unblinded stage for yearly follow-up after one year of VNS. The Control group crosses over to VNS treatment at Stage II.

For Stage I, subjects have:

• consent and evaluation (screening),

• one pre-implant evaluation,

• surgical implant of the device system and randomization into one of the treatment arms,

• one baseline evaluation after device implant surgery but before initiation of treatment,

• 6 weeks of treatment (standard-of-care rehabilitation + standard VNS or standard-of-care rehabilitation + active control VNS), and then

• post-acute therapy evaluations at 1, 30 and 90 days after the 6 weeks of treatment.

• Between Day 1 (V5) and Day 30 (V6) post-acute therapy, both groups will receive in-home, self-directed rehabilitation (30 minutes of daily rehabilitation as assigned by the therapist) with either in-home activated VNS (VNS group) or no VNS (Control group). This means that the control subjects will not have the in-home activated VNS until they complete the second 6-week session of in-clinic rehabilitation with follow-up assessments as described below in Stage II. At this point (Day 30) subjects start scheduling for their continuing long-term follow-up.

• Between Day 30 and Day 90 post-acute therapy, both groups continue in-home, self-directed rehabilitation (30 minutes of daily rehabilitation as assigned by the therapist). The VNS group continues to receive in-home VNS with magnet use; the Control group continues to use the magnet but does not receive any VNS. The Day 90 post-acute therapy visit is V7; it is the first quarterly visit (3 months after study therapy) for the VNS group and is the re-baseline visit (visit just prior to the initiation of standard VNS therapy) for the Control group.

Stage II:

• VNS subjects will continue to have quarterly assessments through the end of the first year (6m, 9m, 12m).

• Subjects in the control group will crossover for a second 6-week in-clinic rehabilitation period where they will now receive rehabilitation with standard VNS.

• Control subjects will then have the three post therapy assessments (1, 30 and 90 days after therapy ends); in-home VNS initiated by a magnet swipe starts at the Post-1 visit (LT1). Thereafter, control subjects will follow the same schedule as VNS subjects for the remainder of the study (6m, 9m, 12m follow-ups, plus yearly visits thereafter).

• Subjects in both groups will receive "booster" in-clinic rehabilitation plus VNS therapy sessions one month prior to their 6- and 12-month assessment visits. These sessions occur on three days over a one-week period (typically Mon, Wed, Fri).

Stage III:

• After one year of standard VNS therapy (~13.5 months after implant for VNS group subjects and ~18 months after implant for Control group subjects), subjects who wish to keep their device for further use will have annual follow-up assessments until commercial approval.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 108
• Est. completion date: June 30, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: April 30, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 22 Years to 80 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. History of unilateral supratentorial ischemic stroke that occurred at least 9 months but not more than ten 10 years prior to enrollment.

2. Age >22 years and <80 years.

3. FMA-UE score of 20 to 50 (inclusive of 20 and 50).

4. Ability to communicate, understand, and give appropriate consent. Subjects should be able to follow two-step commands.

5. Right- or left-sided weakness of upper extremity.

6. Active wrist flexion/extension; active abduction/extension of thumb and at least two additional digits.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of hemorrhagic stroke

2. Presence of ongoing dysphagia or aspiration difficulties.

3. Subject receiving medication that may significantly interfere with the actions of VNS on neurotransmitter systems at study entry. A list of excluded medications will be provided to Investigators.

4. Prior injury to vagus nerve, either bilateral or unilateral (e.g., injury during carotid endarterectomy).

5. Severe or worse depression (Beck Depression Scale > 29) (Beck et al., 1961)

6. Unfavorable candidacy for device implant surgery (e.g., history of adverse reactions to anesthetics, poor surgical candidate in surgeon's opinion, etc.)

7. Current use of any other stimulation device, such as a pacemaker or other neurostimulator; current use of any other investigational device or drug.

8. Medical or mental instability (diagnosis of personality disorder, psychosis, or substance abuse) that would prevent subject from meeting protocol timeline.

9. Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant or to breastfeed during the study period.

10. Current requirement, or likely future requirement, of diathermy during the study duration.

11. Active rehabilitation within 4 weeks prior to consent.

12. Botox injections or any other non-study active rehabilitation of the upper extremity within 4 weeks prior to therapy through the post-30 day visit (Visit 6).

13. Severe spasticity of the upper limb (Modified Ashworth =3) (Bohannon and Smith, 1987).

14. Significant sensory loss. Sensory loss will be measured using the Upper Extremity sensory section of the Fugl Meyer Assessment of Physical Performance. The assessment addresses light touch (2 items) and proprioception (4 items).The highest points attained is 12; subjects with scores less than 6 will be excluded from the study.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cerebrovascular Stroke
• Paresis
• Stroke
• Upper Extremity Paresis

Intervention

Device:
• Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Stimulation of the vagus nerve that is paired with upper limb rehabilitation movements.

Other:
• Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation movements to improve upper limb function after stroke

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United Kingdom	Royal Aberdeen Infirmary	Aberdeen
United Kingdom	University of Glasgow, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital	Glasgow
United Kingdom	Royal London	London
United Kingdom	Newcastle (Royal Victoria Infirmary)	Newcastle Upon Tyne
United Kingdom	Royal Hallamshire Hospital	Sheffield
United States	Emory University Medical School	Atlanta	Georgia
United States	Massachusetts General Hospital	Boston	Massachusetts
United States	Medical University of South Carolina	Charleston	South Carolina
United States	Ohio State University - Neuroscience Research Institute	Columbus	Ohio
United States	UT Southwestern	Dallas	Texas
United States	Rancho Research Institute	Downey	California
United States	Spectrum Health	Grand Rapids	Michigan
United States	TIRR Memorial Hermann (UT Health Science Center at Houston)	Houston	Texas
United States	Mayo Jacksonville / Brooks Rehabilitation	Jacksonville	Florida
United States	Vanderbilt University Medical Center	Nashville	Tennessee
United States	New York Presbyterian Hospital / Weill Cornell Medicine	New York	New York
United States	Thomas Jefferson	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania
United States	Providence St. John's Medical Center	Santa Monica	California
United States	Perseverance Research Center	Scottsdale	Arizona
United States	Burke Medical Research Institute	White Plains	New York

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
MicroTransponder Inc.	ResearchPoint Global

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

United States,  United Kingdom, 

References & Publications (4)

Dawson J, Liu CY, Francisco GE, Cramer SC, Wolf SL, Dixit A, Alexander J, Ali R, Brown BL, Feng W, DeMark L, Hochberg LR, Kautz SA, Majid A, O'Dell MW, Pierce D, Prudente CN, Redgrave J, Turner DL, Engineer ND, Kimberley TJ. Vagus nerve stimulation paired — View Citation

Dawson J, Pierce D, Dixit A, Kimberley TJ, Robertson M, Tarver B, Hilmi O, McLean J, Forbes K, Kilgard MP, Rennaker RL, Cramer SC, Walters M, Engineer N. Safety, Feasibility, and Efficacy of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Upper-Limb Rehabilitation After Ischemic Stroke. Stroke. 2016 Jan;47(1):143-50. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.010477. Epub 2015 Dec 8. — View Citation

Khodaparast N, Hays SA, Sloan AM, Fayyaz T, Hulsey DR, Rennaker RL 2nd, Kilgard MP. Vagus nerve stimulation delivered during motor rehabilitation improves recovery in a rat model of stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2014 Sep;28(7):698-706. doi: 10.1177/1545968314521006. Epub 2014 Feb 18. — View Citation

Kimberley TJ, Prudente CN, Engineer ND, Pierce D, Tarver B, Cramer SC, Dickie DA, Dawson J. Study protocol for a pivotal randomised study assessing vagus nerve stimulation during rehabilitation for improved upper limb motor function after stroke. Eur Stroke J. 2019 Dec;4(4):363-377. doi: 10.1177/2396987319855306. Epub 2019 Jun 17. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) Average Change	The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) was analyzed for difference in average change at 1-day after 6-weeks of therapy compared to baseline (Difference in average change in FM-A from baseline [V4] to one day after therapy [V5]). The upper extremity portion of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) was collected at each visit. The FMA-UE is a common scale used to measure motor impairment after a stroke. The range is 0 (more impairment) to 66 (no impairment).	V5, One day after 6-weeks of therapy
Secondary	Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) Average Change	The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) was analyzed for change in average score at 90-days after 6-weeks of therapy (change in average FMA-UE from baseline [V4] to 90 days after therapy [V7]). The upper extremity portion of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) was collected at each visit. The FMA-UE is a common scale used to measure motor impairment after a stroke. The range is 0 (more impairment) to 66 (no impairment).	V7, 90 days after 6-weeks of therapy
Secondary	Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) Response	The Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Upper Limb (FMA-UE) Response is the percent of patients with a 6 point or greater improvement on the (FMA-UE). The percent of patients with the 6-point change is calculated at 90-days after 6-weeks of therapy compared to baseline (V4). The upper extremity portion of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) was collected at each visit. The FMA-UE is a common scale used to measure motor impairment after a stroke. The range is 0 (more impairment) to 66 (no impairment).	V7, 90 days after 6-weeks of therapy
Secondary	Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) Average Change	The Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) is an assessment scale of upper extremity functional level after stroke. The functional assessment range is an average of 15 sub-items with a range from 0 to 5, with 0 (meaning did not attempt) to 5 (meaning normal). WMFT 90-day - is a measure of the functional assessment change from baseline to 90 days after 6-weeks of therapy.	V7, 90 days after 6-weeks of therapy

External Links

•   Study recruiting website