ArticleTrials2026
Transauricular vagus nerve electrical stimulation improves postoperative sleep disorders in elderly patients (VNstep): protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Article in Trials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06421051 (Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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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.
Transauricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS) Improves Postoperative Sleep Disorders in Elderly Patients:a Randomized Controlled Study.
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPerioperative sleep disorders (PSDs) in elderly patients under general anesthesia are associated with high morbidity and severely affect patients' prognosis. In recent years, vagus nerve electrical stimulation (VNS) has been shown to treat diseases related to autonomic dysfunction, and its anti-inflammatory and other mechanisms may present potential therapeutic possibilities for sleep disorders. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of transauricular vagal nerve stimulation in improving sleep disorders in elderly patients. METHODS/
designThis is a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial. A total of 164 elderly patients receiving general anesthesia were randomized at a 1:1 ratio into two groups: one receiving electrical vagus nerve stimulation during the perioperative period and the other receiving sham stimulation. The primary outcome was the incidence of perioperative sleep disorders within 3 days postoperatively, which was defined as an Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) score of ≥ 6 or a numerical rating scale (NRS) score of ≥ 6. Further effectiveness and safety parameters included sleep quality on days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery, the postoperative pain score, the hospital anxiety‒depression score, the incidence of postoperative delirium, and the incidence of related adverse events. DISCUSSION: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and feasibility of using taVNS to improve PSD in elderly patients receiving general anesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06421051. Registered on May 10, 2024. PROTOCOL VERSION: 1.0: Date: 2024-05-01.
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