SynthesisFrontiers in neurology2024
The effect of electrical stimulation in critical patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Frontiers in neurology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on health-related quality of life in ICU patients: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Older Critically Ill Patients in the ICU: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Critical care explorations · 2025Trial
- Early mobilization to prevent ICU-acquired weakness in mechanically ventilated patients: an integrative review.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Feasibility and tolerability of electrical muscle stimulation during rehabilitation in older adults with osteoporotic vertebral fractures.Osteoporosis and sarcopenia · 2025Article
- Muscle matters: Transforming the care of intensive care unit acquired sarcopenia and myosteatosis.World journal of clinical cases · 2025Review
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.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objectives: While electrical stimulation has been demonstrated to improve medical research council (MRC) scores in critically ill patients, its effectiveness remains a subject of debate. This meta-analysis aimed to discuss recent insights into the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in improving muscle strength and its effects on different clinical outcomes in critically ill adults. Methods: A comprehensive search of major electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase, was conducted from inception to June 15, 2024, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of electrical stimulation in critically ill patients. The analysis focused on comparing electrical stimulation to standard care, sham interventions, or placebo. Outcomes of interest included MRC scores, duration of mechanical ventilation (MV), mortality rate, and intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS). Results: A total of 23 RCTs, including 1798 patients, met the inclusion criteria. The findings demonstrated a significant benefit of electrical stimulation over usual care in enhancing global muscle strength, as measured by MRC scores (MD =3.62, 95% CI 0.94 to 6.30, Conclusion: Electrical stimulation appears to be an effective intervention for improving MRC scores in critically ill patients. However, further research is warranted to explain the potential effects of electrical stimulation on hospital LOS and ICU LOS. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#recordDetails.
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.