Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Preventing Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery With Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after cardiac surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass, leading to longer hospital stays and worse outcomes. Effective preventive therapies are lacking. This randomized controlled trial investigates whether transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS)-a non-invasive ear stimulation technique-can reduce AKI after cardiac surgery. A total of 152 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass will be randomly assigned to receive either taVNS or sham stimulation. The intervention begins before surgery and continues daily through postoperative day 5. The primary outcome is the incidence of AKI within 7 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes include AKI severity, need for dialysis, kidney function recovery, complications, and inflammatory biomarkers. This study is approved by the institutional ethics committee. All participants will provide written informed consent.

NCT Number	NCT07549243
Lead Sponsor	Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital
Conditions	Acute Kidney Injury, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Enrollment	152 participants
Start Date	2026-04-27
Primary Completion	2026-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-05-01 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-22