Trial reportClinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil)2011
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves exercise tolerance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with better preserved fat-free mass.
Trial report in Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02321163 (A New Paradigm of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Attenuating Muscle Atrophy), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A New Paradigm of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Attenuating Muscle Atrophy: a Randomised Controlled Trial
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- 20 years of neuromuscular electrical stimulation in COPD.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2024Pooled it
- Neuromuscular electrostimulation for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for muscle weakness in adults with advanced disease.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation for the rehabilitation of moderate-to-severe COPD: a meta-analysis.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2016Pooled it
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for preventing skeletal-muscle weakness and wasting in critically ill patients: a systematic review.BMC medicine · 2013Pooled it
- Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Combined with Exercises versus an Exercise Program on the Physical Characteristics and Functions of the Elderly: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Multimodal Therapeutic Strategies for the Management of Sarcopenia and Frailty in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Effects of Physical Exercise on the Body Composition and Functionality in Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Predicting and preventing hospital readmission for exacerbations of COPD.ERJ open research · 2020Review
- Locomotor Muscles in COPD: The Rationale for Rehabilitative Exercise Training.Frontiers in physiology · 2019Review
- Changes in lower limb muscle function and muscle mass following exercise-based interventions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A review of the English-language literature.Chronic respiratory disease · 2018Review
- Home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves exercise tolerance and health-related quality of life in patients with COPD.International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease · 2016Observational
- Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Treatment of Muscle Impairment: Critical Review and Recommendations for Clinical Practice.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie CanadaArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHigh-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation increases exercise tolerance in patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD patients). However, it is conceivable that its benefits are more prominent in patients with better-preserved peripheral muscle function and structure.
objectiveTo investigate the effects of high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation in COPD patients with better-preserved peripheral muscle function.
designProspective and cross-over study.
methodsThirty COPD patients were randomly assigned to either home-based, high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation or sham stimulation for six weeks. The training intensity was adjusted according to each subject's tolerance. Fat-free mass, isometric strength, six-minute walking distance and time to exercise intolerance (Tlim) were assessed.
resultsThirteen (46.4%) patients responded to high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation; that is, they had a post/pre Δ Tlim >10% after stimulation (unimproved after sham stimulation). Responders had a higher baseline fat-free mass and six-minute walking distance than their seventeen (53.6%) non-responding counterparts. Responders trained at higher stimulation intensities; their mean amplitude of stimulation during training was significantly related to their fat-free mass (r = 0.65; p<0.01). Logistic regression revealed that fat-free mass was the single independent predictor of Tlim improvement (odds ratio [95% CI] = 1.15 [1.04-1.26]; p<0.05).
conclusionsWe conclude that high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation improved the exercise capacity of COPD patients with better-preserved fat-free mass because they tolerated higher training stimulus levels. These data suggest that early training with high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation before tissue wasting begins might enhance exercise tolerance in patients with less advanced COPD.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.