Effectiveness of the Combined Treatment of Functional Electrical Stimulation and Deambulation in Diabetic Arteriopathy.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether functional electrical stimulation (FES) is able to improve ischemic pain and quality of life of patients with diabetic arteriopathy (DA) in grade-IIa Leriche-Le Fontaine.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a single-blinded, randomized, prospective cohort study. We included patients diagnosed with grade-IIa Leriche-Le Fontaine peripheral arterial disease in both lower extremities with and without diabetes mellitus (DM). The ankle-brachial index was 0.4-0.9. Patients were randomized into two experimental groups: nondiabetic (non-DM) (n = 71) and diabetic (DM) (n = 71). The patients received FES while walking for 1 hr on a supervised treadmill. Three months of follow-up were conducted after treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 168 patients were randomized; 142 completed the study, with 71 in each group. Both groups reported an improvement after the treatment, but the improvement was statistically significant in the DM group, in which all the parameters studied improved. Greater benefits were observed in all the parameters in the DM group after the follow-up, except for the test of the meters walked in 6 min.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of FES during daily walking is effective in patients with DA, reducing intermittent claudication and improving the quality of life of these patients.