Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

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.


Clinical Trial Description

n/a


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT03992378
Study type Interventional
Source University of Oklahoma
Contact Houssein Youness, MD
Phone 405-271-6173
Email Houssein-Youness@ouhsc.edu
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
Start date October 10, 2019
Completion date December 2025

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT03649633 - Vitamin C, Steroids, and Thiamine, and Cerebral Autoregulation and Functional Outcome in Septic Shock Phase 1/Phase 2
Terminated NCT04117568 - The Role of Emergency Neutrophils and Glycans in Postoperative and Septic Patients
Completed NCT04227652 - Control of Fever in Septic Patients N/A
Completed NCT05629780 - Temporal Changes of Lactate in CLASSIC Patients N/A
Recruiting NCT04796636 - High-dose Intravenous Vitamin C in Patients With Septic Shock Phase 1
Terminated NCT03335124 - The Effect of Vitamin C, Thiamine and Hydrocortisone on Clinical Course and Outcome in Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Phase 4
Recruiting NCT04005001 - Machine Learning Sepsis Alert Notification Using Clinical Data Phase 2
Recruiting NCT05217836 - Iron Metabolism Disorders in Patients With Sepsis or Septic Shock.
Recruiting NCT05066256 - LV Diastolic Function vs IVC Diameter Variation as Predictor of Fluid Responsiveness in Shock N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT05443854 - Impact of Aminoglycosides-based Antibiotics Combination and Protective Isolation on Outcomes in Critically-ill Neutropenic Patients With Sepsis: (Combination-Lock01) Phase 3
Not yet recruiting NCT04516395 - Optimizing Antibiotic Dosing Regimens for the Treatment of Infection Caused by Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae N/A
Recruiting NCT02899143 - Short-course Antimicrobial Therapy in Sepsis Phase 2
Recruiting NCT02676427 - Fluid Responsiveness in Septic Shock Evaluated by Caval Ultrasound Doppler Examination
Recruiting NCT02580240 - Administration of Hydrocortisone for the Treatment of Septic Shock N/A
Recruiting NCT02565251 - Volemic Resuscitation in Sepsis and Septic Shock N/A
Terminated NCT02335723 - ASSET - a Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Investigation With Alteco® LPS Adsorber N/A
Completed NCT02638545 - Hemodynamic Effects of Dexmedetomidine in Septic Shock Phase 3
Not yet recruiting NCT02547467 - TOADS Study: TO Assess Death From Septic Shock. N/A
Completed NCT02204852 - Co-administration of Iloprost and Eptifibatide in Septic Shock Patients Phase 2
Completed NCT02306928 - PK Analysis of Piperacillin in Septic Shock Patients N/A