An interventional study of Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Conventional Physiotherapy in Burn Injury, sponsored by Fenerbahce University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-07.
Sponsored by Fenerbahce University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This study will evaluate the effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) in adults with burn injuries. Burn patients may experience anxiety, poor sleep quality, pain, itching, and changes in autonomic nervous system function during recovery.
Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group will receive conventional physiotherapy plus nVNS, and the control group will receive conventional physiotherapy only. Both groups will receive treatment 5 days per week for a total of 10 sessions. nVNS will be applied through electrodes placed on the external ear for 20 minutes per session.
Anxiety, sleep quality, pain, itching, and autonomic function will be assessed before and after the treatment period. Autonomic function will be evaluated using heart rate variability measurements. The results will help determine whether nVNS may be a useful supportive method in the rehabilitation of burn patients.
This study is a randomized controlled experimental study designed to investigate the effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) on anxiety, sleep quality, pain, itching, and autonomic nervous system function in adults with burn injuries.
The study population will consist of patients followed at the Burn Outpatient Clinic of Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital in Istanbul, Türkiye. Eligible participants will be adults aged 18 to 65 years who have completed the acute phase of burn injury, whose burn injury occurred between 1 month and 1 year before enrollment, and who have second- or third-degree burns involving 5% to 30% of total body surface area. Participants must also report at least one complaint related to anxiety, sleep quality, pain, or itching and provide written informed consent.
A total of 60 participants are planned to be included. Participants will be randomly assigned in equal numbers to an intervention group or a control group. The intervention group will receive conventional physiotherapy and nVNS. The control group will receive conventional physiotherapy only. Both groups will receive treatment 5 days per week for a total of 10 sessions. Conventional physiotherapy will be planned according to each participant's needs and may include strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance exercises, active and passive range-of-motion exercises, and interventions for edema. Each conventional physiotherapy session will last approximately 45 minutes.
In the intervention group, nVNS will be applied using electrodes positioned on the tragus and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the concha of the right and left external ear. Stimulation will be delivered continuously for 20 minutes with a biphasic asymmetric waveform, a pulse duration of 300 microseconds, and a frequency of 25 Hz. The stimulation intensity will be increased in 0.1 mA steps until the sensory threshold is reached. If a participant feels unwell during stimulation, the procedure will be stopped.
Outcome assessments will be performed before treatment and after completion of the 10th session. Anxiety will be assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Pain will be assessed using a visual analog scale. Itching severity will be assessed using the 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale. Autonomic nervous system function will be evaluated using heart rate variability measurements recorded with a Polar H10 heart rate sensor and analyzed with Kubios HRV software.
The study aims to determine whether adding nVNS to conventional physiotherapy provides additional benefits for psychological symptoms, sleep quality, pain, itching, and autonomic function in burn rehabilitation.
905 studies on the registry are indexed under Burns; 164 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 60 is above the median of 40 across 663 interventional studies indexed under Burns.
Browse Burns studies →Fenerbahce University is the lead sponsor of 74 studies on the registry; 44 are open to participants now.
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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.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this group will receive conventional physiotherapy plus non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation. Treatment will be provided 5 days per week for a total of 10 sessions. Conventional physiotherapy will last approximately 45 minutes per session. Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation will be applied to the external ear for 20 minutes per session.
Device: Non-Invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation · Other: Conventional Physiotherapy
Participants in this group will receive conventional physiotherapy only. Treatment will be provided 5 days per week for a total of 10 sessions. Conventional physiotherapy will be planned according to each participant's needs and may include strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance exercises, active and passive range-of-motion exercises, and interventions for edema.
Other: Conventional Physiotherapy
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation will be applied using a Vagustim device. Electrodes will be placed on the tragus and the anterior and posterior surfaces of the concha of both ears. Stimulation will be applied continuously for 20 minutes per session with a biphasic asymmetric waveform, a pulse duration of 300 microseconds, and a frequency of 25 Hz. Stimulation intensity will be increased in 0.1 mA steps until the sensory threshold is reached. The procedure will be stopped if the participant feels unwell.
Conventional physiotherapy will be planned according to each participant's needs and will be provided by a physiotherapist. The program may include strengthening exercises, stretching exercises, balance exercises, active and passive range-of-motion exercises, and interventions for edema. Sessions will be performed 5 days per week for a total of 10 sessions, with each session lasting approximately 45 minutes.
Change in Anxiety Level
Anxiety level will be assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The scale includes 21 items scored from 0 to 3, with a total score ranging from 0 to 63. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Sleep Quality
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The scale evaluates sleep quality and sleep disturbances over the previous month. The total score ranges from 0 to 21, and higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Pain Intensity
Pain intensity will be assessed using a visual analog scale. Participants will mark their pain level on a 100-mm line, where higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Pruritus Severity
Pruritus severity will be assessed using the 12-Item Pruritus Severity Scale. The scale evaluates multiple aspects of itching, including location, duration, frequency, intensity, scratching behavior, emotional effects, sleep disturbance, daily activity effects, and quality-of-life impact. Higher scores indicate more severe itching.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Root Mean Square of Successive Differences
Autonomic nervous system function will be assessed using the root mean square of successive differences between normal RR intervals derived from heart rate variability analysis. RR interval data will be recorded with a Polar H10 heart rate sensor during a 5-minute resting measurement and analyzed using Kubios HRV software. The root mean square of successive differences will be reported in milliseconds.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Standard Deviation of Normal-to-Normal Intervals
Autonomic nervous system function will be assessed using the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals derived from heart rate variability analysis. RR interval data will be recorded with a Polar H10 heart rate sensor during a 5-minute resting measurement and analyzed using Kubios HRV software. The standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals will be reported in milliseconds.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Change in Low-Frequency/High-Frequency Ratio
Autonomic nervous system function will be assessed using the low-frequency/high-frequency ratio derived from heart rate variability analysis. RR interval data will be recorded with a Polar H10 heart rate sensor during a 5-minute resting measurement and analyzed using Kubios HRV software. The low-frequency/high-frequency ratio will be reported as a ratio.
Time frame: Baseline and after completion of 10 treatment sessions, up to 2 weeks
Plan to share: No — Individual participant data will not be shared because the dataset will contain sensitive health-related information from burn patients. Data will be used only by the research team for the purposes approved by the ethics committee, while maintaining participant confidentiality.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started May 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2026, 4 months after the start.
Of 210 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Burns, half reached primary completion within 18 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 38. This study's planned 4 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 239 studies reached it within 15 months; a quarter within 6 and three quarters within 38.
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