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Is transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation an alternative for preventing acquired muscle weakness in the pediatric intensive care unit? A scoping review
Author(s) -
Magalhães Paulo,
Figueirêdo Bárbara Bernardo,
Vasconcelos Alanna,
Andrade Érika Marinho,
Dornelas de Andrade Armèle,
Reinaux Cyda
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
pediatric pulmonology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.866
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-0496
pISSN - 8755-6863
DOI - 10.1002/ppul.24293
Subject(s) - medicine , electrical muscle stimulation , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physical therapy , cardiorespiratory fitness , weakness , intensive care unit , muscle weakness , spasticity , functional electrical stimulation , muscle atrophy , intensive care medicine , atrophy , stimulation , surgery
Background Transcutaneous electrical muscle stimulation (TEMS) has been progressively used as add‐on therapy to reduce muscle atrophy in adults unable to carry out active mobilization in the intensive care unit (ICU). There are no studies addressing TEMS in the pediatric ICU. Therefore, we decided to develop a scoping review, a type of knowledge synthesis, which unlike systematic review, identify gaps in the literature to aid the planning and commissioning of future research. Objective To provide current perspectives on the application of TEMS for combating pediatric intensive care unit acquired weakness (PICUAW). Methods Online databases were used to identify papers published 2006–2016, from which we selected those used musculoskeletal and cardiorespiratory performance as a primary or secondary outcome variable in participants under 18 years. Results The publications reported six clinical trials from 218 outpatients with 9.5 ± 8 years old. There were differences in current modulation and duration of TEMS sessions, with a predominance of high intensity and short duration in which a muscle contraction is triggered. The main use of TEMS was in pediatric neurological disorders. TEMS was more effective when compared with SHAM on spasticity, bone mineral density, disability, and gait. One study regarding spine injury showed improvement in VO 2 ( P = 0.035) when combined cycling with TEMS. Conclusion TEMS was an effective and safe treatment for musculoskeletal impairments and cardiorespiratory performance in children with neurological disorders. Although the physiopathology is different in outpatients, an individualized protocol with TEMS might be promising for preventing PICUAW. Its eectiveness, however, deserves further investigation.