ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT05273190Updated Jun 15, 2026

Stimulation of the Larynx to Treat Unexplained Chronic Cough

An interventional study of Vibrotactile Stimulation in Cough, sponsored by University of Minnesota. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 88 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-15.

Primary conditionChronic CoughRegistry: CoughReclassifiedWhy we changed it
Registry
Cough — the first condition term the registry derived for this study.
ClinicalTrials.gg
Chronic Cough
Why
  1. The study's title name Chronic Cough, a narrower term within Cough.
Confidence
High: the new condition is named in the study's own title. Of 46 hand-checked studies reclassified this way, 72% were exactly right and 89% in the right disease family; the registry's first term was right for 4% (measured 2026-10-21). How we classify →
Wrong?
Tell us the study's main condition →

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

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 7 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jul 2021, registered Feb 2022).
  • Started Jul 2021; still recruiting 5 years 3 months later.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
18 Years to 88 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Researchers will test the effect of non-invasive vibrotactile stimulation of the larynx on symptom severity of unexplained chronic cough.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cough

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Keywords

  • Chronic cough
03

In context

Chronic Cough Reclassified

142 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Cough; 39 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is close to the median of 60 across 104 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Cough.

Browse Chronic Cough studies →

Lead sponsor

University of Minnesota is the lead sponsor of 1,216 studies on the registry; 197 are open to participants now.

Of its 136 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 95 (70%) have results posted.

Compared within Chronic Cough, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Cough. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 88 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

  • Adults aged 18-88
  • >8 weeks of cough
  • Cough visual analogue scale (VAS): Rating of 30 or greater on a 0-100 cough severity scale
  • Ability to provide and independently complete questionnaires
  • Ability to read and speak English

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Electronic implants (e.g., pacemaker)
  • Currently doing speech therapy for cough
  • to safe or effective VTS device use
  • No regular access to wifi internet Neuromuscular impairment that may affect cough/laryngeal sensation and/or function (e.g., multiple system atrophy, Parkinson, CVA, vocal fold paralysis or paresis)
  • Untreated carotid disease
  • > 40 (for transmission of VTS through soft tissue)
  • Current or recent (quit \< 3 months ago) smoking
  • Known currently infectious cause for cough (e.g., TB, pertussis, COVID)
  • History of known or suspected aspiration pneumonia
  • Diagnosis or clinical suspicion of (COPD)
  • Diagnosis or clinical suspicion of interstitial lung disease (ILD)
  • Unmanaged reflux
  • Unmanaged allergies/postnasal drip
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

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.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Contraindication

A reason a treatment, test or procedure should not be given to a particular person, such as an allergy, another illness or a medicine they take.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: long-term lung disease that makes it hard to breathe out, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

05

Study design

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

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Vibrotactile Stimulation

    Device: Vibrotactile Stimulation

Interventions

  • DeviceVibrotactile Stimulation

    Small electric motors, similar to a vibrating cell phone or gaming joystick, deliver vibration to the throat. Participants will assess cough symptoms throughout the study period.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Assess usability of VTS device

    % of participants indicating agree or strongly agree with statements of usability

    Time frame: 3-7 weeks

  2. Impact of VTS on cough symptoms

    Pre-post comparison of LCQ scores

    Time frame: 3-7 weeks

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 15, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05273190
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 10, 2022
Start date
Jul 13, 2021
Primary completion
Jun 1, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Jun 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 15, 2026

Study contacts

Clinical Research Coordinators Ashley Ramaker, MS or colleagues
Contact
coughstudy@umn.edu
612-625-3278
Ali Stockness
Contact
nicho656@umn.edu
Stephanie Misono
principal investigator · University of Minnesota

Oversight

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

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