title: [Electrical myostimulation: improvement of quality of life, oxygen uptake and left ventricular function in chronic heart failure].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Regular physical activity has found to be a strategy to increase exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Next to endurance training also electromyostimulation (EMS) of thigh and gluteal muscles results in an increased capacity in CHF patients. EMS therapy was either done by stimulating 8 major muscle groups involving also trunk and arm muscles (extended electromyostimulation (exEMS)) in comparison to EMS therapy limited to gluteal and leg muscles (limEMS).
  
  
  METHODS
  31 individuals completed the EMS training program. Stable CHF patients (NYHA class II-III) received either exEMS (18 patients, 11 males, mean age 59.8±13.8 years) or limEMS (13 patients, 10 males, 63.6±9.4 years). Training was performed for 10 weeks twice weekly for 20 min, the level of daily activity remained unchanged. Effects on exercise capacity, left ventricular function (EF - ejection fraction) and QoL (quality of life) were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  QoL was found to be improved in all domains of the SF-36 questionnaire. In the exEMS group there was a significant improvement in the domain physical functioning (54.09±29.9 to 75.45±15.6, p=0.48) and emotional role (63.63±45.8 to 93.93±20.1 p=0.048). LimEMS group showed significant improvement in the domain vitality (37.5±6.9 to 52.8±12.5, p=0.02).There was a significant increase of oxygen uptake at aerobic threshold in all groups (exEMS: +29.6%, p<0.001; limEMS +17.5%, p<0.001). EF -increased from 36.94±8.6 to 42.36±9.1% (+14.7%, p=0.003) in the exEMS group (limEMS 37.7±3.6 to 40.3±5.9% [+6.9%, p=0.18]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EMS contributes to an improved quality of life and can improve oxygen uptake and EF in CHF. It may be an alternative therapy in CHF patients who are otherwise unable to undertake conventional forms of exercise training.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van Buuren
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Mellwig
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fründ
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bogunovic
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Oldenburg
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kottmann
authors.affiliation: Institut für angewandte Telemedizin (IFAT), Herz und Diabetes Zentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie und Angiologie, Krankenhaus Neu Bethlehem, Göttingen.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dahm
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Kardiologie, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Horstkotte
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Herzchirurgie, SANA Herzzentrum Cottbus.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fritzsche
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D064797:Physical Conditioning, Human / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016896:Treatment Outcome