Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41100038›Full record

ArticleDigestive diseases and sciences2026

Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation Decreases the Need for Rescue Medication for Nausea Exacerbation in Patients with Chronic Nausea and Vomiting.

Guillermo Barahona, Luisa Villatoro de Barahona, Samarth S Sidhu, Robert Burns, Megan McKnight, Ken Y Hui, Robert Bulat, Glenn J Treisman, Eric Liebler, Candace K McClure and 1 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04857281 (Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT04857281 nacompletednot on this map

Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) for Symptomatic Exacerbation of Nausea in Patients With Gastroparesis and Related Disorders

TypeinterventionalSponsorJohns Hopkins UniversityRan2021 to 2024Enrolled49ConditionsChronic Unexplained Nausea and Vomiting, GastroparesisArmsnVNS (gammaCore)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Guillermo BarahonaJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1645-2912
Luisa Villatoro de BarahonaJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-4869-6459
Samarth S SidhuMayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4626-0015
Robert BurnsJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-0915-8416
Megan McKnightJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Ken Y HuiJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Robert BulatJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Glenn J TreismanJohns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4578-6150
Eric LieblerNisola Consulting, Liberty, ME, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8083-9660
Candace K McClureNorth American Science Associates, Minneapolis, MN, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5316-4792
Pankaj J PasrichaDepartment of Internal Medicine/Gastroenterology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. pasricha.jay@mayo.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsNausea exacerbations in patients with gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia (FD) require the use of rescue medications with concomitant adverse effects. We hypothesized that non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS) may provide an effective and safer alternative for such symptoms.

methodsThis pilot study included 41 patients with chronic nausea, attributed to gastric etiology with or without delayed gastric emptying. After a one-week observation period, patients self-administered nVNS for exacerbations of nausea: 4 weeks on one side of the neck (left or right based on the patient's preference), followed by a 2-week washout and then another 4 weeks of nVNS on the other side. The primary endpoint was a reduction in the use of anti-nausea rescue medications.

resultsCompared to baseline, nVNS reduced the average number of rescue medications used per day by half. The initial side of stimulation did not appear to influence the outcome. Although the use of nVNS in this study was not designed to influence chronic sustained symptoms, robust changes were also seen in abdominal pain, reflux, indigestion, constipation, depression, and some autonomic symptoms. Paradoxically, daily vomiting episodes increased during the 4-week period after nVNS was initiated but remained steady thereafter.

conclusion"As-needed" nVNS may reduce the use of rescue medications for exacerbations of nausea. Additionally, several relatively unexpected benefits across a variety of other symptoms were observed. These results should inform larger randomized sham-controlled trials in these disorders with limited therapeutic alternatives. CLINICALTRIALS: gov registration number NCT04857281. Date of registration, 2021-04-20.

Indexed as

AntiemeticsNauseaVagus Nerve StimulationVomitingAdultAgedChronic DiseaseDyspepsiaFemaleGastroparesisHumansMaleMiddle AgedPilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeAntiemeticsFunctional dyspepsiaGastroparesisNauseaNon-invasive vagal nerve stimulation (nVNS)

Identifiers

PMID41100038

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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.