Home-based Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation as an Add-on to Pulmonary Rehabilitation Does Not Provide Further Benefits in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Multicenter Randomized Trial

Objective

To assess the additional effect of a home-based neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) program as an add-on to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), on functional capacity in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Design

Single-blind, multicenter randomized trial.

Setting

Three PR centers.

Participants

Subjects with severe to very severe COPD (N=73; median forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 1L (25th–75th percentile, 0.8–1.4L) referred for PR. Twenty-two subjects discontinued the study, but only 1 dropout was related to the intervention (leg discomfort).

Intervention

Subjects were randomly assigned to either PR plus quadricipital home-based NMES (35Hz, 30min, 5 time per week) or PR without NMES for 8 weeks.

Main Outcome Measure

The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) was used to assess functional capacity.

Results

Eighty-two percent of the scheduled NMES sessions were performed. In the whole sample, there were significant increases in the distance walked during the 6MWT (P<.01), peak oxygen consumption (P=.02), maximal workload (P<.01), modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale (P<.01), and Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire total score (P=.01). There was no significant difference in the magnitude of change for any outcome between groups.

Conclusions

Home-based NMES as an add-on to PR did not result in further improvements in subjects with severe to very severe COPD; moreover, it may have been a burden for some patients.