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Spinal cord stimulation to lower blood pressure in people with hypertension

Tests changing spinal stimulator settings in adults with high blood pressure.

Key facts

Who runs it
University of Calgary
Where
Calgary, CanadaSee the site
Trial code
Registry title
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Blood Pressure Control in Hypertension
Status
Not yet recruiting
People taking part
11 people, planned
Started
1 Nov 2026
Expected to end
1 Nov 2030
Type of study
Interventional
Treatments tested
  • Lower Thoracic Spinal Cord Stimulation
Record updated
25 September 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for adults with high blood pressure who already have a spinal cord stimulator for long-term pain. The study tests whether changing the stimulator settings lowers blood pressure.

Age
18 years or older
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Documented hypertension (high blood pressure) or current use of blood pressure medication.
Earlier treatment
Must already have a working spinal cord stimulator in the lower mid-back region, placed as routine treatment for long-term pain. The treating team must clear settings changes.

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Unstable heart or blood vessel disease, such as uncontrolled arrhythmia, recent heart attack or hypertensive emergency
  • Acute illness or infection at the time of the visit
  • Stimulator not working or concerns about using the device
  • Pregnancy, if the investigators or treating doctors think it matters
  • Cannot give informed consent, or severe cognitive impairment or communication barriers

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 13 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • 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

Who cannot take part

  • 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

Where in Canada

  • Foothills Medical CenterCalgary, CanadaContact: RESTORE Research CoordinatorNo longer taking part

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

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

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.

The group in the trial

  • Spinal Cord Stimulation TestingTreatment being tested

    Adults with an existing implanted lower thoracic spinal cord stimulator for chronic pain undergo non-invasive cardiovascular monitoring during a series of stimulation conditions delivered through their own device. Conditions may include stimulation off, the participant's usual clinical program, and predefined alternative settings within clinically approved device parameters and participant tolerance, with rest periods between conditions.

    Treatment: Lower Thoracic Spinal Cord Stimulation

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Characterizing the Effect of Epidural Electrical Stimulation on Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Individuals With Implanted Spinal Cord Stimulators
Plain-language title
Spinal cord stimulation to lower blood pressure in people with hypertensionGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Record updated
25 September 2026