학술논문
Electrical stimulation to regain lower extremity muscle perfusion and endurance in patients with post‐acute sequelae of SARS CoV‐2: A randomized controlled trial
Document Type
article
Author
Source
Physiological Reports, Vol 11, Iss 5, Pp n/a-n/a (2023)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2051-817X
Abstract
Abstract Muscle deconditioning and impaired vascular function in the lower extremities (LE) are among the long‐term symptoms experienced by COVID‐19 patients with a history of severe illness. These symptoms are part of the post‐acute sequelae of Sars‐CoV‐2 (PASC) and currently lack evidence‐based treatment. To investigate the efficacy of lower extremity electrical stimulation (E‐Stim) in addressing PASC‐related muscle deconditioning, we conducted a double‐blinded randomized controlled trial. Eighteen (n = 18) patients with LE muscle deconditioning were randomly assigned to either the intervention (IG) or the control (CG) group, resulting in 36 LE being assessed. Both groups received daily 1 h E‐Stim on both gastrocnemius muscles for 4 weeks, with the device functional in the IG and nonfunctional in the CG. Changes in plantar oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb) and gastrocnemius muscle endurance (GNMe) in response to 4 weeks of daily 1 h E‐Stim were assessed. At each study visit, outcomes were measured at onset (t0), 60 min (t60), and 10 min after E‐Stim therapy (t70) by recording ΔOxyHb with near‐infrared spectroscopy. ΔGNMe was measured with surface electromyography at two time intervals: 0–5 min (Intv1) and: 55–60 min (Intv2). Baseline OxyHb decreased in both groups at t60 (IG: p = 0.046; CG: p = 0.026) and t70 (IG = p = 0.021; CG: p = 0.060) from t0. At 4 weeks, the IG's OxyHb increased from t60 to t70 (p