The Effects of Intermittent Electrical Stimulation on the prevention of Deep Tissue Injury: varying loads and stimulation paradigms

The Effects of Intermittent Electrical Stimulation on the prevention of Deep Tissue Injury: varying loads and stimulation paradigms

Curtis et al, 2011 [pre-clinical; rats] aimed to test the effects of four paradigms of IES and one conventional pressure relief paradigm in preventing the formation of deep pressure ulcers in rats. Loading equivalent to 18, 28, or 38% of the body weight (BW) of each rat was applied to the triceps surae muscle in one hind limb. Treatment groups received IES every 10 min for either (i) 5 or 10 s with moderate or maximal contraction, or (ii) complete pressure removal every 10 min for 10 s (conventional pressure relief). Animals in the IES category were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (i) maximum stimulation 10 s (Max 10 s) in which a 10-s bout of electrical stimulation eliciting a maximal muscle contraction was delivered every 10 min throughout the duration of loading; (ii) maximum stimulation 5 s (Max 5 s) in which a 5-s bout of electrical stimulation eliciting a maximal muscle contraction was delivered every 10 min throughout the duration of loading; (iii) moderate stimulation 10 s (Mod 10 s) in which a 10-s bout of electrical stimulation eliciting a moderate muscle contraction was delivered every 10 min throughout the duration of loading; and (iv) moderate stimulation 5 s (Mod 5 s) in which a 5-s bout of electrical stimulation eliciting a moderate muscle contraction was delivered every 10 min throughout the duration of loading. The results demonstrate that IES reduces the extent of damage in deep tissue even when utilized for eliciting 5 s-long moderate contractions in loaded muscles every 10 min. The results showed that conventional pressure relief, emulating a wheelchair push-up every 10 min, was inadequate for the prevention of DTI. In contrast, all IES paradigms were equally effective in significantly reducing the extent of deep muscle damage caused by 28 or 38% BW pressure application. The authors concluded that when combined with existing pressure relief strategies, IES could provide an effective prophylactic means for preventing the formation of pressure ulcers.
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  • Curtis CA, Chong SL, Kornelsen I, Uwiera RE, Seres, P., & Mushahwar, V. K. (2011). The Effects of Intermittent Electrical Stimulation on the prevention of Deep Tissue Injury: varying loads and stimulation paradigms.

    Artif Organs. 2011

    35(3):226– 236. Available at: doi:10.1111/j.1525-1594.2011.01212.x