NCT04341415

Impact of Auricular Vagus Nerve Neuromodulation on COVID-19 Positive Inpatients Outcome

Randomized Double Blinded Monocentric Clinical Trial to Assess the Impact of Auricular Vagus Nerve Neuromodulation in COVID-19 Positive Inpatients Outcome.

• Status: Terminated
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 31 (actual)
• Sponsor: Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild · Network
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has already overwhelmed the sanitary capacity. Additional therapeutic arsenals, albeit untested in the given context but previously proven to be efficacious in a related clinical context, that could reduce the morbidity rate are urgently needed. A decrease of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a validated bad prognosis marker in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In contrast, auricular vagus nerve stimulation was proven not only to increase HRV values in healthy Humans, but also to reduce sepsis and increase survival, both significantly, in experimental models. Moreover, the heavy viral infection within the brainstem of deceased patients suggests that the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2 is likely to be partially responsible for COVID-19 acute respiratory failure and may bear relevance in tailoring future treatment modalities. Interestingly, the vagus nerve (or tenth cranial nerve) connects bidirectionally the brainstem to various internal organs including the lung and to one external organ, namely, the outer ear. Hence, the impact of auricular vagus nerve stimulation through semi-permanent needles will be studied, mostly used so far for pain alleviation, on the outcome of COVID-19 inpatients within 15 days.

Conditions

• Covid19
• SARS-CoV Infection

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Auricular neuromodulation	The pose is carried out by the principal investigator, alone, without the presence of the nursing staff in the room. Ear disinfection and sterile neuromodulation needle placement (service protocol with Chlorhexidine) Placement of 4 semi-permanent Classic needles (SEDATELEC®) on each ear flap at the level of the concha (innervated by the vagus nerve) according to an order and a precise location (4 cardinal points conch), i.e. 8 needles per patient. Compress soaked with Oxygenated water on the concha (to stop potential bleeding). Placing an opaque dressing on the ear and a non-occlusive Band-Aid
PROCEDURE	Control	The pose is carried out by the principal investigator, alone, without the presence of the nursing staff in the room. Ear disinfection and sterile manipulation without needle placement (service protocol with Chlorhexidine) No needle laying but only sterile disinfection and pressure over the 4 putative locations with the sterile plastic tip (without the needle). Compress soaked with Oxygenated water on the concha. Placing an opaque dressing on the ear and a non-occlusive Band-Aid.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-04-09
• Primary completion: 2020-11-20
• Completion: 2021-01-15
• First posted: 2020-04-10
• Last updated: 2021-04-13

Locations

2 sites across 1 country: France