Mixed
Daily electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) of the lower extremities significantly reduces the rate of muscle mass loss in critically ill patients compared to standard care without EMS.
For critically ill patients unable to move, daily electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) applied to the legs for about an hour can help preserve muscle mass better than doing nothing. This is not a cure-all but a supportive tool to counteract the rapid muscle wasting that happens in the ICU due to illness and immobility.
However, the CSD of the right rectus femoris decreased significantly less in the EMS group (-0.11 ± 0.06 cm, -8 ± 3.9%) as compared to the control group (-0.21 ± 0.10 cm, -13.9 ± 6.4%; P = 0.009 for the absolute difference and P = 0.029 for the relative difference)... The main finding of our randomized controlled study is that EMS of lower extremities seems to preserve the muscle mass of critically ill patients as assessed with US.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial, but small sample size (n=26 evaluated) and significant exclusion criteria (edema, early death) limit generalizability.
Source
Electrical muscle stimulation preserves the muscle mass of critically ill patients: a randomized study
Vasiliki Gerovasili et al. · Critical Care · 2009
DOI 10.1186/cc8123
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