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The Effect of Transcutaneous Stimulation on Blood Pressure in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)

Recruiting

Neuromodulation of Blood Pressure Using Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Who can join

Ages 18 to 75 · All sexes

Full eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Spinal cord injury for greater than or equal to 6 months
* Injury level ≥ T6 (thoracic level)
* American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS) A-D
* Exhibits at least one of the following hypotensive symptoms:

  1. Baseline hypotension - resting supine or seated systolic blood pressure(SBP) \< 90mmHg;
  2. SBP drop ≥ 20 mmHg within 5 minutes of assuming seated position;
  3. Symptoms of orthostasis with a drop of SBP (\<90mmHg) from supine to sitting

Exclusion Criteria:

* Current illness (infection, a pressure injury that might interfere with the intervention, a recent diagnosis of DVT/PE, etc.)
* Ventilator-dependent
* History of implanted brain/spine/nerve stimulators
* Cardiac pacemaker/defibrillator or intra-cardiac lines
* Significant coronary artery or cardiac conduction disease, a recent history of myocardial infarction
* Insufficient mental capacity to understand and independently provide consent
* Pregnancy
* Cancer
* Deemed unsuitable by study physician

About the study

This project will investigate the effect of spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation on blood pressure in individuals with a chronic spinal cord injury who experience blood pressure instability, specifically, orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure when moving from lying flat on your back to an upright position).

The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. What are the various spinal sites and stimulation parameters that normalize and stabilize blood pressure during an orthostatic provocation (70 degrees tilt)? 2. Does training, i.e., exposure to repeated stimulation sessions, have an effect on blood pressure stability?

Participants will undergo orthostatic tests (lying on a table that starts out flat, then tilts upward up to 70 degrees), with and without stimulation, and changes in their blood pressure will be evaluated.

What is being tested

Biostim-5 transcutaneous spinal stimulator (device)
Tilt-table orthostatic stress testing (diagnostic test)

Sponsor: Kessler Foundation · Participants: 5 · Started: Feb 1, 2023

Contact the study team

LeighAnn Martinez, BA · Phone: (973)324-3557

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT05725499

Locations in the U.S.

New Jersey

Kessler Foundation, West Orange

Conditions

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.