Background: Heart failure (HF) is an important public health problem, of which main clinical symptoms are dyspnea and fatigue. Noninvasive ventilatory support has been used as adjuvant therapy in cardiac rehabilitation in order to improve the functional capacity of patients.

BackgroundNeuromuscular electrostimulation has become a promising issue in cardiovascular rehabilitation. However there are few articles published in the literature regarding neuromuscular electrostimulation in patients with heart failure during hospital stay.MethodsThis is a randomized controlled pilot trial that aimed to investigate the effect of neuromuscular electrostimulation in the walked distance by the six-minute walking test in 30 patients admitted to ward for heart failure treatment in a tertiary cardiology hospital. Patients in the intervention group performed a conventional rehabilitation and neuromuscular electrostimulation. Patients underwent 60 minutes of electrostimulation (wave frequency was 20 Hz, pulse duration of 20 us) two times a day for consecutive days until hospital discharge.ResultsThe walked distance in the six-minute walking test improved 75% in the electrostimulation group (from 379.7 ± 43.5 to 372.9 ± 46.9 meters to controls and from 372.9 ± 62.4 to 500 ± 68 meters to electrostimulation, p<0.001). On the other hand, the walked distance in the control group did not change.ConclusionThe neuromuscular electrostimulation group showed greater improvement in the walked distance in the six-minute walking test in patients admitted to ward for compensation of heart failure.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improved peak (Equation is included in full-text article.)O2, 6MWT distance, quality of life, muscle strength, endothelial function, and depressive symptoms in patients with HF and could be considered for inclusion in cardiac rehabilitation for selected patients.