Queen Mary ear stimulation study finds no overall blood pressure drop

On Oct. 24, 2026, researchers at Queen Mary University of London reported that ear nerve stimulation did not significantly lower blood pressure in 63 patients with uncontrolled hypertension compared with a sham device.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research funded the SCRATCH-HTN trial, which enrolled 63 people whose blood pressure remained above targets despite taking at least one medicine. All participants had blood pressure readings above recommended levels despite medication. Participants were randomly assigned to active stimulation or a sham device to test whether stimulation produced benefits beyond using the device itself. The results appeared in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal, on Sept. 28, 2026, under DOI 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.126.27847, listing Ajay Gupta and co-authors for the SCRATCH Trial Investigators.

Queen Mary University of London issued the source material on Oct. 24, 2026. Researchers at the university led the trial and the National Institute for Health and Care Research funded it. Dr. Ajay Gupta, the study’s chief investigator, is from Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.

Transcutaneous autonomic neuromodulation seeks to influence the autonomic nervous system, the network that automatically runs essential body functions including heart rate, digestion and blood pressure regulation. The technique sends mild electrical signals to ear nerves to affect natural blood pressure regulation without surgery. Afferent Medical Solutions developed the handheld device, which uses two clips on the tragus, the cartilage flap in front of the ear canal, to deliver gentle electrical pulses through the skin. It targets nerves involved in automatic bodily functions without requiring surgery or clinic visits.

Patients used the device at home for 30 minutes daily for two weeks, then once weekly for 10 weeks. Researchers found the treatment safe, generally comfortable and well tolerated, and most participants followed the schedule. People can use the handheld ear device at home on their own without going to a clinic. Researchers suggest this setup makes regular home use practical.

Across all 63 participants, active stimulation did not produce a statistically significant blood-pressure reduction compared with the sham device. A prespecified subgroup analysis found a larger reduction among participants who began the trial with more severe hypertension. The researchers planned this subgroup comparison before seeing the data. Researchers stress the small trial’s overall null result leaves the approach unproven.

Because the study enrolled few participants, they say larger trials must confirm the result before researchers can draw any conclusions about effectiveness in this group. Researchers describe the results as a first step rather than confirmation of an effective new therapy. Bigger studies must verify the severe-hypertension findings and identify which patients might benefit. The source describes the severe-hypertension subgroup finding as promising but cautions that the small trial size means researchers cannot yet draw conclusions about effectiveness.

Dr. Ajay Gupta, the study’s chief investigator from Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust, called the technology exciting and highly patient-acceptable. “This is an exciting, highly patient-acceptable technology that could ultimately provide a cheap, scalable solution for millions,” Gupta said. He noted that significance was not reached across the broad unselected group while patients with more severe hypertension showed a clear reduction in the active group versus sham.

High blood pressure is a major factor in cardiovascular disease and increases the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes. The trial tested transcutaneous autonomic neuromodulation as a non-invasive add-on for people whose blood pressure stayed above targets despite drug therapy. Many people receiving treatment still exceed recommended blood pressure targets, creating a need for approaches to complement existing therapies.

The source states that drugs help many patients manage hypertension, but many remain above targets despite treatment. It says this gap motivated scientists to look for complementary options.

More proof is required before the therapy can enter routine clinical use. The authors note that practicality and tolerability do not by themselves prove the device lowers blood pressure. The source says the device appears practical and safe but has not been proven to lower blood pressure effectively, and it calls for stronger evidence before routine care adoption.