Functional electrical stimulation improves muscle strength and endurance in patients after cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled trial.
Jociane Schardong, Gabriela Castro Kuinchtner, Graciele Sbruzzi and 2 others
PMID 28571696WHAT IT FOUND
After cardiac surgery, electrical stimulation plus added load did not improve six-minute walk distance more than placebo.
Walk distance rose in both groups, while the protocol increased thigh strength and sit-to-stand endurance.
Key findings
01The primary six-minute walk distance increased in both groups but did not differ significantly between the stimulation-plus-load protocol and placebo.
02Quadriceps strength rose by 9.5 kg with the stimulation-plus-load protocol and by 2.3 kg with placebo, and the between-group difference was significant.
03Sit-to-stand endurance rose by 2.9 repetitions with the stimulation-plus-load protocol and by 0.7 repetitions with placebo, with a significant between-group difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 patients were analysed in each group, so the study is small and may not detect true differences. The analysis was per-protocol, and intention-to-treat analysis was not done because follow-up data were incomplete. The therapist who delivered FES or placebo knew the allocation, although patients and evaluators were blinded. Participants were sedentary after discharge and had preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, so results may not apply to more impaired cardiac rehabilitation patients. Patients were told not to do other exercise, but their daily activities were not controlled, which may have contributed to improvement in both groups. The strength and endurance gains came from a protocol that combined FES with added load, so the contribution of each component cannot be separated.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest; no funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that electrical stimulation alone improved strength or walking. The primary walk outcome showed no between-group difference, and the strength and endurance gains came from a protocol that also added load, so the contribution of each component cannot be separated.