Kensuke Nakamura, Atsushi Kihata, Hiromu Naraba, Naoki Kanda, Yuji Takahashi, Tomohiro Sonoo, Hideki Hashimoto, Naoto Morimura
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Hitachi General Hospital, 3170077 Ibaraki, Japan. E-mail: mamashockpapashock@yahoo.co.jp
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2594

Objectives: Belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation can induce muscle contraction of the whole lower body. This study examined the efficacy of belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation on reducing loss of muscle volume in critically ill patients.
Methods: Intensive care unit patients were randomly assigned to control and electrical muscle stimulation groups. In both groups, early rehabilitation was administered from day 2 of admission. In the electrical muscle stimulation group, belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation was administered. Femoral muscle volume was evaluated with computed tomography on days 1 and 10.
Results: Ninety-Four severely ill patients were included 47 patients were assigned to each group. Femoral muscle volumes of 16 control and 21 electrical muscle stimulation group patients were measured. For both groups, femoral muscle volume decreased significantly from day 1 to day 10 (p < 0. 0001). The mean rate of muscle volume loss was 17. 7% (standard deviation (SD) 10. 8%) for the control group and 10. 4% (SD 10. 1%) for the electrical muscle stimulation group (p = 0. 04). The score for stair-climbing of Barthel Index was significantly better in the electrical muscle stimulation group 3. 9 (SD 4. 0) than in the control group 1. 5 (1. 5) (p = 0. 04).
Conclusion: Belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation has the potential to inhibit muscle volume loss in critical care.

Belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation can induce muscle contraction of the whole lower body. We examined its efficacy in intensive care. We randomly assigned intensive care unit patients to control and electrical muscle stimulation groups. Early rehabilitation was administered from day 2 and electrical muscle stimulation was administered by belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation. Femoral muscle volume was evaluated using computed tomography. Ninety-four severely ill patients were included and assigned to 47 control and 47 electrical muscle stimulation groups. Femoral muscle volumes were decreased significantly during day 1 to day 10 in both group, however, electrical muscle stimulation significantly inhibited muscle volume loss. There was a trend to improve the activity of daily living at discharge for electrical muscle stimulation. Belt electrode skeletal muscle electrical stimulation can be introduced from the acute phase of intensive care and inhibit muscle volume loss in critically ill patients.

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