Spinal cord stimulation to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension

Trial details

Who runs it

University of Calgary

Trial code

NCT07842315

Record updated

25 September 2026

Original description

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Medications work well for many people, but some people still have blood pressure that stays too high, or they have side effects from their medications. Researchers are looking for treatments that do not involve taking more medication.Read full original descriptionShow less

Characterizing the Effect of Epidural Electrical Stimulation on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals With Implanted Spinal Cord Stimulators

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Medications work well for many people, but some people still have blood pressure that stays too high, or they have side effects from their medications. Researchers are looking for treatments that do not involve taking more medication.

Nerves help control blood pressure by changing how blood vessels tighten and how hard the heart pumps. Because of this, treatments that act on nerves may be able to lower blood pressure.

Spinal cord stimulation is a treatment already used to manage long-term pain. It uses a small device, placed under the skin during a standard operation, that sends mild electrical signals to the spine. Laboratory studies suggest that stimulating the lower part of the mid-back may also lower blood pressure, but this has not been carefully studied in people who already use these devices.

This study will look at whether changing the settings on a spinal cord stimulator affects blood pressure. About 11 adults who have high blood pressure and who already have a spinal cord stimulator for long-term pain. No new device will be placed, and no surgery or other invasive procedure will be done for this study.

Participants attend a series of study visits. At each visit, trained staff record blood pressure and heart rate while the stimulator is turned on, turned off, and set to other settings that the person's care team has approved and that the person finds comfortable. There are rest breaks between each setting. Over successive visits, the study team works to identify the settings that best lower blood pressure. Participants can stop at any time, and their usual settings are restored at the end of each visit.

The study will also look at whether this kind of testing is practical and comfortable for participants. The results will help researchers decide whether larger studies of spinal cord stimulation for blood pressure control are worth doing.

Inclusion: Adults aged 18 years or older; Existing implanted spinal cord stimulator with leads positioned in the lower thoracic region as part of routine clinical treatment for chronic pain; Device functioning appropriately and participant cleared for routine programming adjustments by the treating clinical team; Able to understand study procedures and provide informed consent; Able to attend the study visit and tolerate temporary monitoring and stimulation testing; Documented hypertension or current use of antihypertensive medication.

Exclusion: Unstable cardiovascular disease (e.g., uncontrolled arrhythmia, recent myocardial infarction, severe symptomatic hypotension, hypertensive emergency, or other conditions where stimulation testing may increase risk); Acute illness or infection at the time of study visit; Severe cognitive impairment or communication barriers preventing safe participation; Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent; Pregnancy, if deemed clinically relevant by investigators or treating physicians; Implanted stimulator malfunction or clinical concerns regarding device use; Any other medical or clinical reason identified by the investigator or treating clinician that would make participation unsafe.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07842315