1000 Section - Transcutaneous Auricular Vagal Nerve Stimulation for Consciousness Recovery in Patients with Prolonged Disorders of Consciousness (TAVREC): Interim Results of A Multicentre, Triple-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

LZ

Long-yun Zhou, PhD

Physician
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

LP

Li-jun Peng, PhD

Physician
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
YL

Ya-feng Liu, MD

Physician
Nanjing Zijin Hospital
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
SW

Shu-wei Wang, BS

Physician
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University
Taizhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)
YQ

Yue Qiu, MD

Therapist
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
MF

Ming-ming Feng, MD

Research assistant
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nanjing Zijin Hospital
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
ZL

Zhen-yu Liu, PhD

Physician
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
SW

Shan-shan Wu, BS

Therapist
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nanjing Zijin Hospital, Nanjing, China
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

HW

Hui-juan Wu, MD

Chief Physician
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Taizhou Hospital of Zhejiang Province affiliated to Wenzhou Medical University
Taizhou, Zhejiang, China (People's Republic)
JG

Jiang-ping Ge, PhD

Director
Nanjing Zijin Hospital
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)
JR

Jan D Reinhardt, PhD

Professor
Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University
Chengdu, Sichuan, China (People's Republic)
XL

Xiao Lu, PhD

Dean
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital (The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University)
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China (People's Republic)

Objectives :

Transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS), a safe, non-invasive intervention, is a possible treatment option of prolonged disorders of consciousness (pDoC). We aimed to assess the effectiveness of taVNS on consciousness recovery in patients with pDoC.

Design:

One hundred and twenty-four participants were included for analysis. In the ITT analysis, the estimated RIC showed a tendency towards statistical significance, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.35 (95% CI 0.87 to 6.32, p = 0.103). For clinical scales, the between-group difference in CRS-R total scores was 2.61 points (95% CI 0.15 to 5.07, p = 0.039). No significant differences were observed in GCS or FOUR total scores between the two groups at this time point. In resting-state EEG data, there was statistic difference in the relative power of the delta band and the alpha band between those groups. For serum biomarkers, only the level of NFL demonstrated a statistically significant difference. No serious adverse events occurred during the study period.

Conclusion:

Interim results of our trial suggested a trend of statistical difference between those two groups.