Do low-frequency electrical myostimulation and aerobic training similarly improve performance in chronic heart failure patients with different exercise capacities?

Abstract

Five weeks of electrical myostimulation and conventional aerobic training exercise training produced similar improvements in exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure. However, electrical myostimulation appears to be more effective in patients with low exercise capacity than in those with average exercise capacity.

The feasibility and acceptability of neuromuscular electrical stimulation to improve exercise performance in patients with advanced cancer: a pilot study

“…More recently NMES has been assessed for patients suffering chronic medical conditions. In debilitated patients with COPD or CHF, NMES of the large lower limb muscles was shown to increase muscle size [11], improve muscular strength and overall exercise capacity [12-14], facilitate activities of daily living, and improve quality of life [15]. …”

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and Inspiratory Muscle Training as Potential Adjunctive Rehabilitation Options for Patients With Heart Failure

“…54 improvement was consistently greater with the latter intervention. Seven of 9 investigations assessing changes in peak V .…”

Effects of low frequency functional electrical stimulation with 15 and 50 Hz on muscle strength in heart failure patients

“…However, some patients do not adapt themselves to conventional physical training, either because they give it up easily or because they have some kind of disability and cannot tolerate even low levels of physical efforts. Thus, functional electrical stimulation (FES) can represent a muscle training alternative for these patients because of its potential beneficial effects [13], such as the increase of maximum oxygen consumption [14], muscle mass (type I fibers), oxidative enzyme levels [15], endothelial function improvement [16] and better performance in functional tests [17,18].…”