Trial reportClinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society2023
Noninvasive low-level tragus stimulation attenuates inflammation and oxidative stress in acute heart failure.
Trial report in Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02898181 (Low Level Transcutaneous Tragus Stimulation to Reduce Inflammation, Dyspnea and Improve Heart Rate Variability in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Low Level Transcutaneous Tragus Stimulation to Reduce Inflammation, Dyspnea and Improve Heart Rate Variability in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- The efficacy of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in heart failure management - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC cardiovascular disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Neurocardiology: Brain-Heart Interactions in the Heart.MedComm · 2026Review
- The effect of visit-to-visit blood pressure variability on cognitive function: state-of the-art.Cerebral circulation - cognition and behavior · 2025Article
- Vagal nerve stimulation in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury: from bench to bedside.Bioelectronic medicine · 2024Review
- Efficacy and safety of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation for frequent premature ventricular complexes: rationale and design of the TASC-V trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Update of
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAcute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and excess sympathetic drive. It is unknown whether neuromodulation would improve inflammation and oxidative stress in acute heart failure. We, therefore, performed this proof-of-concept study to evaluate the effects of neuromodulation using noninvasive low-level tragus stimulation on inflammation and oxidative stress in ADHF.
methodsNineteen patients with ejection fraction < 40% were randomized to neuromodulation 4 h twice daily (6-10 a.m. and 6-10 p.m.) (n = 8) or sham stimulation (n = 11) during hospital admission. All patients received standard-of-care treatment. Blood samples were collected at admission and discharge. Serum cytokines were assayed using standard immunosorbent techniques. Reactive oxygen species inducibility from cultured coronary endothelial cells exposed to patient sera was determined using a dihydrodichlorofluorescein probe test (expressed as fluorescein units).
resultsCompared to sham stimulation, neuromodulation was associated with a significant reduction of circulating serum interleukin-6 levels (-78% vs. -9%; p = 0.012). Similarly, neuromodulation led to a reduction of endothelial cell oxidative stress in the neuromodulation group (1363 units to 978 units, p = 0.003) compared to sham stimulation (1146 units to 1083 units, p = 0.094). No significant differences in heart rate, blood pressure, or renal function were noted between the two groups.
conclusionIn this proof-of-concept pilot study, in acute decompensated heart failure, neuromodulation was feasible and safe and was associated with a reduction in systemic inflammation and attenuation of coronary endothelial cellular oxidative stress. CLINICAL
trial registrationNCT02898181.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.