Key result
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation added to cardiac rehab fails to improve exercise tolerance or quality of life.
Why the study?
The study was conducted to compare the effect of an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program alone versus combined with lower extremity neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the recovery of patients with chronic heart failure.
Does adding lower extremity neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improve exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with stable chronic heart failure (NYHA II-III)?
Population
Seventy two patients with stable CHF and NYHA II-III symptoms
Comparison
Exercise rehabilitation plus NMES (35 Hz or 10 Hz) vs sham NMES vs exercise rehabilitation alone
Design
Randomized controlled trial
Follow-up
3 weeks
Authors
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NMES adds no benefit to exercise-based rehabilitation in stable HF; confirms exercise alone suffices for tolerance and QoL gains.
RCT (n=72)
Does adding lower extremity neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improve exercise tolerance and quality of life in patients with stable chronic heart failure (NYHA II-III)?
p-value: p=>0.05
Adding neuromuscular electrical stimulation to standard exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation does not provide additional benefits in exercise tolerance or quality of life for patients with stable NYHA II-III heart failure.
Kucio et al. (2018) conducted an RCT in Chronic heart failure (NYHA II-III) (n=72). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) plus exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation vs. Sham NMES or solely pharmacological and exercise treatment was evaluated on Exercise tolerance and quality of life (p=>0.05). Neuromuscular electrical stimulation added to exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation did not significantly improve exercise tolerance or quality of life compared to rehabilitation alone (p>0.05).
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