Trial Outcomes & Findings for A Non-invasive Intervention (BreEStim) for Management of Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) After Limb Amputation (Experiment 2) (NCT NCT04750538)

NCT ID: NCT04750538

Last Updated: 2025-03-20

Results Overview

VAS Scores are recorded from 0 to 10 with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "worst pain", a higher score indicating a higher level of pain. Change is reported as \[(VAS score at baseline) - (VAS Score 10 minutes after intervention)\] - a positive value indicates that the score (and pain level) decreased

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

NA

Target enrollment

17 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

Baseline, 10 minutes after intervention

Results posted on

2025-03-20

Participant Flow

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure
BreEStim 120, Then BreEStim 240
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
BreEStim 240, Then BreEStim 120
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
First Intervention (10-15 Minutes)
STARTED
17
0
First Intervention (10-15 Minutes)
COMPLETED
17
0
First Intervention (10-15 Minutes)
NOT COMPLETED
0
0
Washout (About 1-17 Days)
STARTED
17
0
Washout (About 1-17 Days)
COMPLETED
17
0
Washout (About 1-17 Days)
NOT COMPLETED
0
0
Second Intervention (20-30 Minutes)
STARTED
17
0
Second Intervention (20-30 Minutes)
COMPLETED
17
0
Second Intervention (20-30 Minutes)
NOT COMPLETED
0
0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

A Non-invasive Intervention (BreEStim) for Management of Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) After Limb Amputation (Experiment 2)

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure
BreEStim 120, Then BreEStim 240
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
BreEStim 240, Then BreEStim 120
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
Total
n=17 Participants
Total of all reporting groups
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
n=99 Participants
0 Participants
n=206 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
14 Participants
n=99 Participants
14 Participants
n=206 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
3 Participants
n=99 Participants
3 Participants
n=206 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
6 Participants
n=99 Participants
6 Participants
n=206 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
11 Participants
n=99 Participants
11 Participants
n=206 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
White Non-Hispanic
8 Participants
n=99 Participants
8 Participants
n=206 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Black or African American
6 Participants
n=99 Participants
6 Participants
n=206 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Hispanic or Latino
2 Participants
n=99 Participants
2 Participants
n=206 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Asian
0 Participants
n=99 Participants
0 Participants
n=206 Participants
Race/Ethnicity, Customized
Others
1 Participants
n=99 Participants
1 Participants
n=206 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
17 participants
n=99 Participants
17 participants
n=206 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, 10 minutes after intervention

VAS Scores are recorded from 0 to 10 with 0 being "no pain" and 10 being "worst pain", a higher score indicating a higher level of pain. Change is reported as \[(VAS score at baseline) - (VAS Score 10 minutes after intervention)\] - a positive value indicates that the score (and pain level) decreased

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
BreEStim 120
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes.
BreEStim 240
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
Change in Pain Level as Measured by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
1.43 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.24
1.71 score on a scale
Standard Deviation 1.39

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, 5 minutes after intervention

Electrical Sensation Threshold (EST) is the minimum electrical current intensity that a person can reliably perceive as a sensation on their skin. This threshold is self-reported by the subjects, and electrical intensity values are recorded when participants first detect the electrical stimulation. Change is reported as \[(EST at 5 minutes after intervention) - (EST at baseline)\] - a positive value indicates a decrease in sensation perception.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
BreEStim 120
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes.
BreEStim 240
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
Change in Sensation Threshold on Amputated Limb Measured by Electrical Sensation Threshold (EST)
0.95 milliampere (mA)
Standard Deviation 4.06
3.43 milliampere (mA)
Standard Deviation 11.57

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, 5 minutes after intervention

An Electrical Pain Threshold (EPT) refers to the minimum intensity of electrical stimulation required to produce a perceptible pain sensation on a person's skin, essentially measuring the point at which an electrical current becomes painful. The EPT is self-reported by subjects when they feel the electrical intensity begins to cause pain. Change is reported as \[(EPT at 5 minutes after intervention) - (EPT at baseline)\] - a positive value indicates an increase in pain threshold.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure
BreEStim 120
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes.
BreEStim 240
n=17 Participants
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
Change in Pain Threshold on Amputated Limb Measured by Electrical Pain Detection Threshold (EPT)
3.92 milliampere (mA)
Standard Deviation 17.97
2.29 milliampere (mA)
Standard Deviation 10.46

OTHER_PRE_SPECIFIED outcome

Timeframe: Baseline, 10 minutes after intervention

HRV is a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat. We use HRV to identify the autonomic nervous system changes after intervention treatment.

Outcome measures

Outcome data not reported

Adverse Events

BreEStim 120

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 17 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

BreEStim 240

Serious events: 0 serious events
Other events: 17 other events
Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Other adverse events
Measure
BreEStim 120
n=17 participants at risk
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 120: 120 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 10-15 minutes.
BreEStim 240
n=17 participants at risk
BreEStim is voluntary breathing controlled transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. 120 vs 240 BreEStim electrical stimuli will be compared to examine the impact of different stimuli "dose" on pain reduction in this experiment. BreEStim 240: 240 BreEStim stimuli will applied for about 20-30 minutes.
Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders
Redness
23.5%
4/17 • 3 weeks
23.5%
4/17 • 3 weeks
General disorders
Discomfort
100.0%
17/17 • 3 weeks
100.0%
17/17 • 3 weeks

Additional Information

Sheng Li, MD, PhD

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Phone: 713-797-7125

Results disclosure agreements

  • Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
  • Publication restrictions are in place