ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05230732Updated Aug 11, 2026

Neuromodulation of Inflammation and Endothelial Function

An interventional study of neuromodulation device and SHAM in Systolic Heart Failure, sponsored by University of Oklahoma. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 85 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-11.

Sponsored by University of Oklahoma · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2022; still recruiting 4 years 2 months later.

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Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
158
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 85 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-13

Among 83 studies in Heart Failure, Systolic with a site in United States — 17 open to participants now, 21 under way, none of them phase 3. Heart Failure, Systolic · United States.

Planned enrollment
17th of 69
158 · median 40
Started
2022
with 2 others
No phase
44 of 83
10 open now
Primary completion
2027-02
later than 9 of 20 live
Registered
59th of 83
by date

Among the 83 studies in Heart Failure, Systolic with a site in United States, this one is the 17th largest by planned enrollment of the 69 interventional ones that give a count, is one of 3 that started in 2022, is one of 44 with no phase, reaches primary completion later than 9 of the 20 other live ones, and was the 59th registered.

Heart Failure, Systolic

230 studies on the registry are indexed under Heart Failure, Systolic; 51 are open to participants now.

Browse Heart Failure, Systolic studies →

Open to participants now

17 of the 83 studies in Heart Failure, Systolic with a site in United States are open now. Recruiting first, the newest first:

11 more — sign in →

All 17 open studies →

A study can be open while its sites in United States have not opened yet or have stopped. Only those recruiting at a site in United States →

Who these studies take

Of the 29 Heart Failure, Systolic studies recruiting now, 19 (66%) set no upper age limit and 2 (7%) stop at 75 or younger; 2 take children under 18; 1 takes healthy volunteers.

This study: 18 Years to 85 Years · all sexes · no healthy volunteers.

The full table on the hub →

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVNarrow it in search →With an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 83 studies in Heart Failure, Systolic with a site in United States, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is a major cause of mortality in United States. Aging is a major risk factor for adverse outcomes associated with HFrEF, with majority of the patient's over the age of 50, continuing to experience symptoms, reduced exercise capacity and poor quality of life. We have previously demonstrated that low level transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve at the tragus (LLTS) suppresses inflammation in patients with atrial fibrillation and diastolic dysfunction and improved endothelial dysfunction in patients with chronic heart failure. The overall objective of this proposal is to examine the effects of LLTS on heart failure symptoms, exercise capacity and quality of life in patients with HFrEF and simultaneously determine the impact of LLTS on the suppression of inflammation and improvement in endothelial function. Our specific aims include: 1. To examine the medium term effect of intermittent (1 hour daily for 3 months) LLTS on exercise capacity and quality of life, related to sham stimulation, in patients with HFrEF, 2. To determine the effects of medium-term LLTS on sympathovagal/autonomic balance (assessed by heart rate variability) and systemic inflammation in patients with HFrEF and 3. To determine the effects of medium-term LLTS on endothelial function in patients with HFrEF. The proposed proof-of-concept human studies will provide the basis for the design of further human studies using LLTS among larger populations with HFrEF. In light of the increasing number of elderly patients who continue to experience HFrEF symptoms, recognized is a key point of interest in this funding mechanism, and the suboptimal success of the currently available treatment options to ameliorate the problems mentioned above, an alternative novel approach such as LLTS has the potential to impact clinical practice and improve health outcomes among the large number of patients. It is anticipated that these investigations will contribute to a broader understanding of the role of autonomic imbalance, inflammation and endothelial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of HFrEF and how its inhibition can be used to provide therapeutic effects. Moreover, it is anticipated that a better understanding of how modulation of autonomic tone, inflammation and endothelial function affects one of the hallmarks of HFrEF will lead to the development of normal nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches to treat this disease.

Read the detailed description

Prospective randomized double-blind study of Lowlevel Tragus stimulation-LLTS vs. sham treatment.

We will require n=108 participants (54 in each group) to reach statistical significance and to account for potential drop-out (anticipated \<5%, based on previous study in atrial fibrillation) from the study and 50 subjects below the age of 50 will be enrolled in the control group 2 for comparison purposes, for a total of 158 patients.

Aim 1:

Objective 1: measure the medium-term effects of LLTS on exercise capacity in subjects with HF - 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) will be performed at baseline and after 3 months of LLTS. Change in 6MWD from baseline to 3 months will be compared between experimental and sham groups. Duration of test: \<10 minutes. A dedicated quite hallway exists in the translational geroscience laboratory which will enable performance of the test. Study will be performed by the research coordinator.

Objective 2: assess the effects of medium-term LLTS on quality of life in subjects with HF - quality of life will be determined using standard HF questionnaire (MLWHF score). This questionnaire will be administered at baseline and after 3 months. Duration of test: \<15 minutes. Study will be administered by our research coordinator either on paper or tablet.

Aim2:

Objective 1: measure the effects of medium-term LLTS on sympathovagal balance in subjects with HF - Heart rate variability (HRV), a well-established, noninvasive measure of autonomic function, will be measured and analyzed via 10 min ECG using standard Labscribe and Kubios software. The amplitude and changes of the low (0.04-0.15Hz), high (0.15-0.4Hz) and the low frequency/high frequency ratio along with specific time domain variables (SDNN,SDANN,pNN50,rMSSD) will be determined to reflect autonomic imbalance.

Objective 2: assess the effects of medium-term LLTS stimulation on HF biomarkers, inflammation - using high sensitivity ELISA kits, NT-Pro BNP, sST2, Interleukins (6, 1), TNF-α, hsCRP will be assayed.

Aim 3:

Objective 1: assess the effects of medium-term LLTS on vascular endothelial function -Flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) will be used to assess %-change in brachial artery diameter upon the release of temporary 5-min blood flow occlusion to the extremity using ultrasonography (Phillips Affinity X70). This is a standard, validated technique to assess FMD. Average time to perform this study is \~20 minutes.

03

Conditions studied

  • Systolic Heart Failure
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 85 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

Systolic heart failure with EF \< or equal to 50%.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. patients in overt congestive heart failure / recent acute myocardial infarction (\< 4 weeks) or Unstable angina
  2. Active
  3. unilateral or bilateral vagotomy
  4. pregnant patients
  5. End stage liver disease
  6. history of recurrent vasovagal syncope, Sick sinus syndrome with no pacemaker, 2nd or 3rd degree AV block.
  7. Significant hypotension (Blood pressure \< 90 mm Hg) secondary to autonomic dysfunction
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Cancer (malignancy)

Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.

Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Quadruple (Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
158 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Experimental

    Active LLTS will be performed by use of a neuromodulation device with electrodes attached to the tragus of the ear. Stimulator will be applied continuously for 1 hour daily for 12 weeks.

    Device: neuromodulation device

  • Sham comparator
    Control arm

    Sham LLTS will be performed by use of a neuromodulation device with electrodes attached to the ear lobule. Stimulator will be applied continuously for 1 hour daily for 12 weeks.

    Device: SHAM

Interventions

  • Deviceneuromodulation device

    Active LLTS will be performed by use of a neuromodulation device with electrodes attached to the tragus of the ear. Stimulator will be applied continuously for 1 hour daily for 12 weeks

  • DeviceSHAM

    Sham LLTS will be performed by use of a neuromodulation device with electrodes attached to the ear lobule. Stimulator will be applied continuously for 1 hour daily for 12 weeks

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. 6MWD

    6 minute walk distance

    Time frame: Change in 6MWD after 12 weeks compared to baseline

Secondary outcomes

  1. QoL

    Quality of life will be assessed using the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire

    Time frame: Change in QoL after 12 weeks compared to baseline

Other outcomes

  1. FMD

    Flow mediated vasodilatation will be assessed using vascular ultrasound measuring brachial artery diameter change with standard 5 minute BP cuff occlusion test.

    Time frame: Change in FMD after 12 weeks compared to baseline

  2. HRV

    heart rate variability

    Time frame: Change in HRV after 12 weeks compared to baseline

  3. Inflammation

    Inflammatory cytokines will assayed at baseline and after 4 weeks of stimulation. Cytokines assayed : Il1B,IL-6,IL-17,TNF-a,TGF-b,CRP etc- expressed in pg/ml units).

    Time frame: Change in inflammatory markers after 12 weeks compared to baseline

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Started Sep 2022 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Feb 2027, 53 months after the start.

Of 52 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Heart Failure, Systolic, half reached primary completion within 27 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 46. This study's planned 53 months is above that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 56 studies reached it within 30 months; a quarter within 16 and three quarters within 50.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 10, 2022
First posted
Feb 9, 2022
StartActual
Sep 1, 2022
Primary completionEst.
Feb 27, 2027
CompletionEst.
Feb 27, 2027
Last update
Aug 11, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Aug 11, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05230732
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Feb 9, 2022
Start date
Sep 1, 2022
Primary completion
Feb 27, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Feb 27, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Aug 11, 2026

Study contacts

Tarun Dasari, MD,MPH
Contact
tdasari@ouhsc.edu
4052714742
Cheryl Adams, RN
Contact
cheryl-adams@ouhsc.edu
4052714742
Tarun Dasari, MD, MPH
principal investigator · University of Oklahoma

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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