Strength Improvement of Knee Extensor Muscles in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure by Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

• Published in: Artificial organs Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 432 - 435
• Main Authors: Quittan, Michael, Sochor, Andrea, Wiesinger, Günther F., Kollmitzer, Josef, Sturm, Barbara, Pacher, Richard, Mayr, Winfried
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, USA Blackwell Science Inc 01.05.1999
• Subjects: Chronic Disease; Chronic heart failure; Electric Stimulation Therapy - instrumentation; Electric Stimulation Therapy - methods; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Feasibility Studies; Female; Heart Failure - complications; Humans; Isometric Contraction - physiology; Knee Joint - physiology; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle Contraction - physiology; Muscle Fatigue - physiology; Muscle strength; Muscle Weakness - therapy; Neuromuscular electrical stimulation; Neuromuscular Junction - physiology; Range of Motion, Articular - physiology; Skeletal muscle; Strength improvement; Stroke Volume - physiology; Torque; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left - complications

Patients with severe chronic heart failure (CHF) suffer from marked weakness of skeletal muscles. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) proved to be an alternative to active strength training. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility and effectiveness of NMES in patients with ch...