Abstract 093 | The effectiveness of percutaneous electrical stimulation in patients in the early period of rehabilitation after ischemic stroke

Berger A.B., Konchugova T.V. | Federal State Budgetary Institution "National Medical Research Center for Rehabilitation and Balneology" of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia.

The need to increase the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures in patients after a stroke is one of the strategic tasks of healthcare worldwide due to the increase in the number of cases of acute cerebrovascular accident (ACD), as well as an increase in the survival rate of patients due to modern methods of treatment of vascular disasters. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of low-frequency pulsed electric current on muscle strength in the affected extremities in hemiplegia syndrome in patients with the effects of STROKE in the intensive care unit and post intensive care unit. (1-3) The study included 46 patients who had ischemic stroke in the basin of the right/left middle cerebral artery and were admitted for rehabilitation in the early period (25 days after the vascular lesion). The average age of the patients was 59 years (53; 63.5). The patients were divided by simple randomization into three groups: the main group (n=15), the comparison group (n=16) and the control group (n=15). Standard methods of medical rehabilitation were used in all groups: individual sessions with a physical therapy instructor, verticalization, massage, mechanotherapy, classes with a speech therapist, laser therapy. In the main group, percutaneous electroneurostimulation (CHANCE) was additionally performed on the affected limbs for a duration of 20 minutes, for a course of 10 procedures. In the comparison group, an additional 10-minute CHANCE was performed on the affected limbs. Before and after the rehabilitation course, muscle strength in the affected limbs was assessed on a 5-point scale of muscle strength. Upon admission to the intensive care unit, patients in the main group showed results of muscle strength in the affected arm – 0 points; in the affected leg – 1 point (0; 1). After completing the rehabilitation course, the indicators of the affected arm were 2 points (1; 2); in the affected leg, 2 points (0.5; 2) (p<0.05). In the comparison group, before rehabilitation, the results of muscle strength of the affected arm were obtained - 0 points; in the affected leg – 1 point (0; 1). Upon discharge on the 20th day of hospitalization, the muscle strength of the affected arm was 1 point (1; 2); the affected leg has 2.4 points (1; 3). When comparing the groups receiving CHANCE, the highest efficacy was obtained in the group of patients with an exposure duration of 20 minutes. When compared with the results in the control group, whose patients did not receive electrotherapy, a statistically significant advantage of the main group was revealed. It should be noted that during the procedures of CHANCE, the condition of patients with vital functions remained stable, which indicates the safety of using this physiotherapy technique in the early stages after a stroke directly in the intensive care unit. The results also prove the effectiveness of electrical stimulation techniques in terms of increasing muscle strength in affected limbs in post-stroke patients.