Summary
Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine to Long COVID: 1 has completed. The most advanced is Phase 1 (NCT05638620, sponsored by Jonathann Kuo, MD). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registered activity dates to 2023. The literature layer holds 16 publications for this pair: 1 systematic review and 15 other publications. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
Long COVID / PASC is tracked on the OSMF post-viral programme alongside ME/CFS, Long COVID, POTS and MCAS. Across the programme, 423 candidate agents are logged for Long COVID, most of them preliminary; this page isolates the record for one of them.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | C · Preliminary |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 26.0 (trials 3.0, literature 18.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 16 (15 other publications, 1 systematic review) |
| Agent type | Other (Other / Unclassified) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Investigational |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | OSMF therapeutic agent database, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05638620 | Dual Sympathetic Blocks for Patients Experiencing Sympathetically-Mediated Symptoms From Long COVID Jonathann Kuo, MD · 2023 | completed | Phase 1 | 20 |
Published literature
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 42263302
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 39658729
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 39087973
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 38947233
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 36949968
- Case series (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40608373
- Case series (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 37496529
- Case series (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40960330
- Case series (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 34922127
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 41357833
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 41135020
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40587610
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40957038
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40960332
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 36628048
- Systematic review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 41973314
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
Clinical notes: Investigational for listed conditions. 1 associated trial(s) and 0 study reference(s) in current data. Review primary sources and consult specialists before use.
Safety: Limited specific safety data in these populations. Review full prescribing information and consult specialist. Many agents used off-label or investigational.
Dosing in studies: See linked studies/trials for reported doses and durations; typical protocols vary widely.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine approved for Long COVID?
Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine in clinical trials for Long COVID?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine to Long COVID: 1 has completed. The most advanced is Phase 1 (NCT05638620, sponsored by Jonathann Kuo, MD). It plans or enrolled 20 participants. Registered activity dates to 2023.
What does the evidence show for Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine in Long COVID?
Stellate Ganglion Block With 0.5% Bupivacaine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Long COVID. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), taken from the OSMF therapeutic agent database, which grades agents by the volume and design of condition-specific evidence rather than by effect size.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-10-07. Page built 2026-10-07.