2023/01/01 by Sérgio Lívio Menezes Couceiro, Sergio Menezes Couceiro, Lucas Bonacossa Sant’Anna +5
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control #Heart rate and cardiovascular health #Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.36660/abc.20220581
crossref issued 2023/01/01 · crossref published 2023/01/01 · openalex publication_date 2023/01/01 · crossref published-print 2023/05/02 · crossref created 2023/05/02 · crossref deposited 2025/05/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/08/01 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
BACKGROUND: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) imbalance in heart failure (HF) creates a vicious cycle, excess sympathetic activity, and decreased vagal activity contributing to the worsening of HF. Low-intensity transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (taVNS) is well tolerated and opens new therapeutic possibilities. OBJECTIVES: To hypothesize the applicability and benefit of taVNS in HF through intergroup comparison of echocardiography parameters, 6-minute walk test, Holter heart rate variability (SDNN and rMSSD), Minnesota quality of life questionnaire, and functional class by the New York Heart Association. In comparisons, p values <0.05 were considered significant. METHODS: Prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical study with sham methodology, unicentric. Forty-three patients were evaluated and divided into 2 groups: Group 1 received taVNS (frequencies 2/15 Hz), and Group 2 received sham. In comparisons, p values <0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: In the post-intervention phase, it was observed that Group 1 had better rMSSD (31 x 21; p = 0.046) and achieved better SDNN (110 vs. 84, p = 0.033). When comparing intragroup parameters before and after the intervention, it was observed that all of them improved significantly in group 1, and there were no differences in group 2. CONCLUSION: taVNS is a safe to perform and easy intervention and suggests a probable benefit in HF by improving heart rate variability, which indicates better autonomic balance. New studies with more patients are needed to answer the questions raised by this study.