2.1. Study Design and Participants
low exercise tolerance for cardiac surgery”, rhabdomyolysis, painless, decrease or loss in cognitive function, pain, arthropathies
MYOPATHIES, RHABDOMYOLYSIS, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES, ARTHROPATHIES
This clinical randomized study was performed in the cardiology department of the Research Institute for Complex Issues of Cardiovascular Diseases, Kemerovo. Consecutive patients who underwent in-patient examination and preparation for cardiac surgery from 7 September 2020 to 30 September 2022 were approached. Exclusion criteria for the study included: surgical interventions in an emergency and urgent manner; arthropathies that prevented the complete and painless performance of the physical fitness test; low pain threshold; rhabdomyolysis and other myopathies; decrease or loss in cognitive function, which prevents full familiarization with the study protocol, age at the time of the survey being less than 35 and more than 80 years; and patient refusal to participate in the study. The study protocol was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the Institution (Protocol No. 20170128) and was developed according to the Declaration of Helsinki, 2000 edition. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to entering the study. This work was supported by exploratory scientific research “Preoperative preparation of patients with low exercise tolerance for cardiac surgery” (No 2020-419-32). The study protocol is registered on Clinicaltrias.gov (NCT04545268).Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the NMES group or control group using a computer-generated randomization program. Patients in the NMES group underwent muscle stimulation daily before their cardiac surgery and the control patients received the usual pre-surgery program (breathing exercises and education).