Electrical Muscle Stimulation in Severe Heart Failure Patients: Pilot
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effects of Continous Electrical Muscle Stimulation on Functional Capacity, Cardiac and Vascular Structure and Function, Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Advanced Heart Failure Patients: A Pilot Study
IRAS ID
79641
Contact name
Prithwish Banerjee
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust
Research summary
Exercise that makes the heart pump faster improves strength and stamina and reduces breathlessness in heart failure patients. However, those with advanced heart failure are so limited they cannot take more than a few steps without becoming exhausted. Gradually, they do less, becoming housebound and depressed and often have a very poor quality of life. They are unable to gain the considerable physical and social benefits of exercise.
Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS) involves attaching adhesive electrodes to the large muscles of the legs. These provide low level electrical impulses making the muscles gently twitch and contract. Regular EMS increases muscle strength, so that patients can start to perform more daily activities. At lower frequencies like the unique shivering type response proposed in this project, EMS can also stimulate increases in breathing and heart rate to the same level as continuous slow walking.
Previous exercise training research has not included advanced heart failure patients as they are generally too limited to exercise. These patients are therefore currently offered very little non-medical treatment. As an alternative, regularly using EMS in the comfort of their own home may represent a bridge to exercise.
The aim of this pilot project is to:
(a) determine whether 8 weeks of EMS can enhance the level of physical activity and quality of life of severe heart failure patients. It will achieve this by measuring changes in fitness and the function of the heart and arteries
(b) Describe the what happens to the heart and arteries during a single session of EMS
(c) Establish whether wearing the LF-EMS straps regularly is tolerable and practical for severe CHF patients.If the study shows that regular use of the EMS straps is practical for advanced heart failure patients, and that their fitness is improved, many similar patients could benefit from this intriguing new technology.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0240
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jul 2013
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion