[Electrostimulation of skeletal muscles in combined rehabilitation of patients with chronic pulmonary heart]

Abstract

101 patients with chronic respiratory pathology and emerging pulmonary heart (middle age 59 +/- 1 years), who received a medical rehabilitation, were examined with the purpose to study safety and efficiency of skeletal muscles electrostimulation. In the beginning and in the end of therapy the patients took examinations: bicycle ergometry, test with 6-minutes walking, estimation of muscular strength and tolerance with the multifunctional trainer, spirometry and echocardiography. In the main group (n=54) patients received a course of passive training with skeletal muscles electrostimulation additionally to usual rehabilitation program. In the control group (n=47) patients received only traditional program of therapy. A course of skeletal muscles electrostimulation leaded to increase of muscular strength (by 10-24%) and tolerance (by 47-67%). In the control group muscular stage did not change. Passive training also leaded to significantly greater increase of tolerance to physical exercise at bicycle ergometry (by 55%, p = 0.000001) and at the test with 6-minutes walking (by 13.9%, p = 0.000002), then in control group. Increase of vital lungs capacity at spirometry (by 4.9%, p = 0.019) and tendency to decrease of pressure in pulmonary artery according to Doppler echocardiography (p = 0.08) were registered in the main group. In the control group significant changes of respiratory function and indices of intracardicac hemodynamics were not noticed. Therefore, skeletal muscles electrostimulation deserve to be used in rehabilitation of patients with chronic pulmonary heart.