Non-invasive, vagus nerve stimulation to reduce ileus after colorectal surgery: protocol for a feasibility trial with nested mechanistic studies.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Ileus is a common and distressing condition characterised by gut dysfunction after surgery. While a number of interventions have aimed to curtail its impact on patients and healthcare systems, ileus is still an unmet challenge. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is a promising new treatment due to its role in modulating the neuro-immune axis through a novel anti-inflammatory reflex. The protocol for a feasibility study of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS), and a programme of mechanistic and qualitative studies, is described.

Methods and analysis

This is a participant-blinded, parallel-group, randomised, sham-controlled feasibility trial (IDEAL Stage 2b) of self-administered nVNS. One hundred forty patients planned for elective, minimally invasiv

SUBMITTER: Chapman SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8296772 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature