CClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01823705GESUpdated Oct 2, 2018

Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES) for the Treatment of Obesity

An interventional study of Exilis Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES) in Obesity, sponsored by Medtronic Corporate Technologies and New Ventures. Completed at 4 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 21 Years to 64 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-10-02.

Sponsored by Medtronic Corporate Technologies and New Ventures · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
32
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
21 Years to 64 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this feasibility study is to provide safety data on the implantable Exilis gastric electrical stimulation (GES) system, to individually adjust stimulation parameters to levels that are comfortable for implanted subjects during chronic daily treatment, and to collect data on acute gastrointestinal function and food intake responses to GES during in-clinic testing.

02

Conditions studied

  • Obesity

Browse trials for

03

In context

Obesity

6,296 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 1,692 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 32 is below the median of 78 across 4,878 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.

Browse Obesity studies →

Lead sponsor

Medtronic Corporate Technologies and New Ventures is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
21 Years to 64 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults ages 21-64 with BMI of 40-45 kg/m\^2 or BMI 35-39.9 kg/m\^2 with at least one obesity-related comorbidity, who have failed prior non-surgical weight loss attempts, and have been within 5% of their current weight for at least one year.
  • If diabetic, subject has non-insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed within the last 7 years, and has an HbA1c level less than 8%.
  • If female and of child-bearing age, subject is not pregnant or lactating and is willing to use effective contraception for the duration of the study.
  • Subject is willing and able to complete scheduled study visits, complete on-line lifestyle educational modules, and complete required procedures.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subject has a history of medical, surgical, or psychiatric conditions that, in the opinion of the Investigators, would limit study participation or contraindicate implantation of the Exilis GES system. Examples includes cardiac abnormalities contraindicating surgical anesthesia, prior gastrointestinal surgery, gastrointestinal motility disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, a history of eating disorders, anticipated future need for magnetic resonance imaging, or allergies to food ingredients in study test meals.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
32 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES)

    Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES) therapy for the treatment of obesity.

    Device: Exilis Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES)

Interventions

  • DeviceExilis Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation (GES)

    Also known as: Exilis Implantable Gastric Electrical Stimulation

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. First-in-human experience with the Exilis System, including initial clinical feasibility and safety data, as well as data on device performance (e.g., recharge durations and intervals) and use conditions (e.g., stimulation amplitudes, lead impedances).

    Once adjudicated by the Adverse Events Advisory Committee (AEAC), all adverse events recorded during the study were tabulated and summarized by seriousness, intensity, and related. Device performance and use conditions where characterized by collecting data on amplitude settings and lead impedance recorded during device interrogations and conducted at each clinic visits. The data will be tabulated and summarized using descriptive statistics, but no hypotheses tests were pre-specified

    Time frame: Duration of study

  2. To gain an understanding of what sensations, if any, subjects feel during GES treatment, and what level and type of sensations subjects find acceptable and comfortable during chronic daily treatment.

    In-clinic sensory testing and telephone follow-up were collected during Amplitude Titration phase and will be summarized. No formal hypothesis testing were pre-specified. Fourt separate visits were conducted approximately weekly during the titration phase. The testing procedure was expected to be repeated twice during each visits; once in a fasted state and once in a fed state. Subjects were asked to rate exposure sensitive from 0 (none) to 5 (intense)

    Time frame: 4 weeks

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in gastric emptying time across a pair of in-clinic measurements made with and without GES.

    During the two GI function visits subjects completed the same set of acute tests on two separate days, once with GES On and once with GES Off. Treatment ordering was randomly assigned in a balanced fashion. Each testing visit was preceded by a one week GES Off washout period. The gastric emptying half time outcomes in the acute cross-over experiment will be analyzed using the repeated measures regression with fixed subject and test-day effects, with the model-based t-test for the difference in the marginal means of T1/2 across treatments being used for statistical inference.

    Time frame: Screening, Week 26 and Week 52

  2. Change in whether GES delivered with the Exilis System suppresses post-meal gastric contractile activity

    Antral motility index outcomes in the acute cross-over experiment were analyzed using the repeated measures regression with fixed subject and test-day effects. The model-based t-test for the difference in the marginal means of the MI values across treatments will be used for statistical inference.

    Time frame: 8 and 10 weeks

  3. Change in post-meal plasma glucose and insulin concentrations

    Blood samples were collected in conjunction with the gastric emptying test meals to explore whether GES alters plasma levels of gut peptides involved in regulating food intake and body weight, including GLP-1, PP, and CCK.

    Time frame: Baseline and 6 months

  4. Changes in coloric intake during a standardized ad libitum solid meal consumed in a controlled setting

    During the GI function tests in the acute-cross over experiments subjects were fed a macaroni and cheese meal in a controlled setting. the meal was given at each GI function visit once with GES On and once with GES Off. The caloric intake was measured during the visit to determine whether the GES On would reduce meal intake.

    Time frame: 8 and 10 weeks

  5. Change in physiological parameters, medication usage, and psychometric assessment scores that occur during chronic daily GES treatment with the Exilis System.

    The values of physiological measures, psychometric assessment questionnaire scores and changes in these values from the Screening visit baseline will be summarized by visit using descriptive statistics. Medications will be categorized by their primary indications for use, and the proportion of subjects taking medications in each category and the mean number of medications in each category per subject will be calculated at each visit and plotted over time. No formal hypothesis testing will be conducted.

    Time frame: Study duration

07

Study locations

4 sites
  • Scottsdale, Arizona 85258, United States
  • Louisville, Kentucky 40202, United States
  • Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
  • Maastricht, 6229, Netherlands
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Oct 2, 2018, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01823705
Lead sponsor
Medtronic Corporate Technologies and New Ventures
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 4, 2013
Start date
Mar 29, 2013
Primary completion
Jan 13, 2017
Completion
Jan 13, 2017
Last update
Oct 2, 2018

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2018. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion