The effect of early neuromuscular electrical stimulation in intensive care unit-acquired weakness

Background & objective: Intensive Care Unit-Acquired Weakness (ICU-AW) is a weakness found in critically ill patients, and this weakness can persist even after discharge from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Various rehabilitation medicine procedures have been shown to be effective in prevention as well as managing the established weakness in this cohort of the patients. We analyzed the effect of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) therapy on the global muscle strength, quadriceps femoris muscle, and creatine kinase examination in patients known to have ICUAW. Methodology: The type of study used a pre-experimental one-group pre-posttest, and the study population consisted of 23 patients who experienced ICU-AW. Patients were given NMES therapy at the beginning of treatment in the ICU and then evaluated using the Medical Research Council Scale for Muscle Strength (MRC-SS), Manual Muscle Test (MMT), and creatine kinase levels. Results: NMES therapy provides significant results on increasing muscle strength on the fifth day with MRC-SS 42.78 (24-60) and MMT 3.57 (2-5) (P < 0.001), as well as a significant decrease in creatine kinase levels given therapy at the beginning of ICU admission. Conclusion: NMES therapy increases global muscle strength and quadriceps femoris muscle and decreases creatine kinase levels.