Joint and Bone Center (Center for Diagnosis, Research and Therapy of Musculoskeletal Disorders), Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
J Rehabil Med. 2010 Jun;42(6):593-7. doi: 10.2340/16501977-0564.
It is known that patients in the intensive care unit show an enormous loss of muscle mass. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is effective in enhancing strength and endurance in immobilized patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on muscle layer thickness of knee extensor muscles in intensive care unit patients.
Randomized, controlled, double-blind, pilot trial.
Thirty-three patients, male to female ratio 26:7, mean age 55 years (standard deviation 15).
After enrolment in the study, intensive care unit patients (main diagnoses: polytrauma, cardiovascular diseases, transplantation, pneumonia, cancer) were stratified (based on the length of their stay in hospital) into 2 groups: 17 acute patients (< 7 days) and 16 long-term patients (> 14 days). Both groups were randomized to a stimulation group or a sham-stimulation group. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation was applied to knee extensor muscles for a period of 4 weeks (session time 30-60 minutes, 5 days/week). Ultrasound measurements were performed before and after the stimulation period to quantify muscle layer thickness of knee extensor muscles.
Only stimulated long-term patients (+4.9%) showed a significant (p = 0.013) increase in muscle layer thickness compared with sham-stimulated patients (-3.2%).
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation appears to be a useful adjunct to revert muscle wasting in intensive care unit long-term patients; however, larger studies with a larger sample size are needed to confirm these promising, but preliminary, results.
众所周知，重症监护病房的患者会大量丧失肌肉质量。神经肌肉电刺激在增强固定患者的力量和耐力方面非常有效。本研究旨在评估神经肌肉电刺激对重症监护病房患者股四头肌肌层厚度的影响。
随机、对照、双盲、试点试验。
33 名患者，男女比例 26:7，平均年龄 55 岁（标准差 15）。
在研究入组后，将重症监护病房患者（主要诊断：多发伤、心血管疾病、移植、肺炎、癌症）根据住院时间长短分层为 2 组：17 名急性患者（<7 天）和 16 名长期患者（>14 天）。两组均随机分为刺激组或假刺激组。神经肌肉电刺激应用于股四头肌 4 周（每次 30-60 分钟，每周 5 天）。在刺激期前后进行超声测量，以量化股四头肌肌层厚度。
只有接受刺激的长期患者（+4.9%）与假刺激患者（-3.2%）相比，肌层厚度显著增加（p=0.013）。
神经肌肉电刺激似乎是逆转重症监护病房长期患者肌肉消耗的有用辅助手段；然而，需要更大样本量的更大研究来证实这些有希望但初步的结果。
