Whole body exercise tolerance and peripheral muscle strength in patients who received NMES (group 1, n=9) and controls (group 2, n=6)
| Baseline | Follow up | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Difference between means (95% CI) | Group 1 | Group 2 | Difference between means (95% CI) | |
| V̇o2 = oxygen uptake; V̇e = minute ventilation; LE = leg effort; BL = breathlessness, Tlim = time to the limit of tolerance of constant work rate exercise. *p<0.05. | ||||||
| Maximal exercise | ||||||
| Power (W) | 24 (15) | 23 (17) | 1 (–7 to 9) | 36 (12) | 27 (18) | 9 (−5 to 23) |
| V̇o2 (l/min) | 0.60 (0.15) | 0.53 (0.10) | 0.07 (–0.08 to 0.22) | 0.72 (0.16) | 0.59 (0.19) | 0.13 (0.03 to 0.23)* |
| LE/V̇o2 | 11.3 (5.3) | 11.1 (4.1) | 0.2 (–1.2 to 1.6) | 7.9 (3.0) | 10.7 (4.1) | –2.8 (–5.0 to –0.6)* |
| BL/V̇o2 | 13.5 (2.9) | 13.7 (3.8) | –0.2 (–2.9 to 2.5) | 9.1 (2.7) | 14.1 (3.3) | –5.0 (–11.2 to 1.2) |
| Endurance exercise | ||||||
| Time (min) | 4.5 (2.1) | 3.9 (1.6) | 0.6 (–2.3 to 3.5) | 8.4 (2.0) | 3.4 (1.8) | 5.0 (2.9 to 7.1)* |
| LE/Tlim | 2.17 (0.31) | 2.20 (0.35) | –0.03 (–0.41 to 0.35) | 0.94 (0.34) | 2.15 (0.48) | –1.19 (–1.78 to −0.60)* |
| BL/Tlim | 2.95 (0.49) | 3.11 (0.48) | –0.16 (–0.85 to 0.53) | 2.06 (0.28) | 3.15 (0.29) | –1.09 (–2.03 to 0.15) |
| Muscle strength | ||||||
| Peak torque (N.m) | 64.4 (32.3) | 54.5 (16.2) | 9.9 (–10.7 to 30.5) | 91.8 (29.3) | 59.7 (6.8) | 32.1 (6.1 to 58.1)* |
| Fatigue index (%) | 113.7 (35.2) | 96.5 (19.1) | 17.2 (–2.1 to 36.5) | 74.9 (38.8) | 98.1 (13.1) | –23.2 (–42.5 to –3.9)* |
| Mean isometric force (N) | 156.8 (53.6) | 150.5 (60.4) | 6.3 (–26.9 to 39.5) | 185.5 (54.6) | 164.3 (71.4) | 21.2 (–10.8 to 53.2) |