Trial reportCritical care explorations2025
Effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Older Critically Ill Patients in the ICU: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Trial report in Critical care explorations, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines 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
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of physical rehabilitation on functional recovery in critically ill patients.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- ICU-Acquired Weakness: An Unsolved Clinical Problem: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn the ICU, the optimal patient population for neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and the most appropriate evaluation tools remain unclear. This study aimed to assess whether combining early mobilization with NMES in older critically ill patients improves lower limb muscle strength and physical function at hospital discharge.
designAssessor-blinded, randomized controlled trial.
settingA single-center, emergency and critical care center ICU in Japan. PATIENTS: Patients 65 years old or older with an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score greater than 20 admitted to the ICU.
interventionsThe participants were randomly assigned to the NMES group (NMES in addition to early mobilization) or the control group (early mobilization alone). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
resultsThe primary outcome was quadriceps isometric strength (QIS), which was measured using a hand-held dynamometer to ensure objective assessment. QIS values were normalized to body weight. Outcome assessors were blinded to group allocation. A total of 44 patients were randomized, and 32 completed the study (NMES group: 17; control group: 15). The mean age was 77.6 ± 6.5 years, and the mean APACHE II score was 29.7 ± 6.3. NMES was performed for an average of 9.6 ± 4.8 days. There were no baseline differences between groups. At hospital discharge, the mean QIS was 0.46 ± 0.13 kgf/kg in the NMES group and 0.30 ± 0.13 kgf/kg in the control group (mean difference, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.07-0.25; p = 0.002). Secondary outcomes, including the 6-minute walk distance and the Barthel Index, were also greater in the NMES group.
conclusionsNMES combined with early mobilization improved lower limb muscle strength and functional outcomes in older ICU patients.
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.