Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in the Critically Ill

Plain-language summary

Neuromuscular stimulation (NMES) has been used for several years in the rehabilitation of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) patients (among others) to improve their resistance to efforts in everyday life. In patients in intensive care, it seems to improve strength, reduce the loss of muscle mass, prevent the development of CIP / CIM (Critical illness polyneuropathy / critical illness myopathy) and perhaps even reduce ventilation days, with expected effects on the duration of hospitalization and the long-term functional outcome. Although its use could sometimes be limited by the development of peripheral edema and use of vasoconstrictors, the main advantage of this technique is the possibility of being used very early, even in patients that require deep sedation . This is extremely important given that the muscular atrophy process already starts 18h after the onset of invasive ventilation and as signs of impaired nerve transmission are developed in one third of patients at risk within 72 hours. The purpose of the study is to assess the effects, in the short and medium term, of early neuromuscular stimulation in patients who are at higher risk of developing a critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) / critical illness myopathy (CIM) spectrum disease. This is a randomized controlled single-blind study comparing a group of patients submitted to NMES early (up to 5 days after admission) versus a control group unstimulated.

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