NCT01887080

Effects of Microcurrent in a Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Home-based Program

Effects of Microcurrent in a Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Home-based Program in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 40 (actual)
• Sponsor: Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde do Porto · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of electric stimulation (electrolipolysis) in a home-based cardiovascular rehabilitation program in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Detailed description

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in most industrialized countries. It is widely accepted that cardiac rehabilitation has a beneficial role in the control of modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. However, these cardiovascular rehabilitation programs are scarce and only a small fraction of the population who needs has access. So, it is pertinent to the displacement of these programs to the community context. Obesity has become a truly global epidemic among children and adults, as well as changing the metabolic profile: when occurs an excessive accumulation of adipose tissue (mainly central distribution) there are a set of changes / adjustments to the cardiac structure and function. The electrical stimulation of abdominal subcutaneous (electrolipolysis) is a procedure often used in physical therapy clinics to reduce waist circumference. However, the effectiveness of this intervention, the selection of parameters, and the duration of its effects in cardiac patients are not yet clarified in the literature.

Conditions

• Acute Myocardial Infarction

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Exercise	This group had the exercise program, thrice a week for eight weeks. The exercise protocol consists of 10 exercises: aerobic and resistance exercises. It was used a moderate intensity (60% of maximum heart rate of stress test with progression until 80%). Subjects were taught to monitor exercise intensity by measuring the manual heart rate, by using the scale of perceived exertion Borg (11-13), and by observation of signs. The exercise protocol was done with supervision from a distance, using information technologies (SMS, phone, email ...), and when necessary it was resorted to routine meetings.
DEVICE	Microcurrent	This group had the exercise program after electrolipolysis, thrice a week for eight weeks. The electrolipolysis consisted of 30-minute sessions: the first 15 minutes with a frequency of 30 Hz and the final 15 minutes with a frequency of 10 Hz; with a pulse time of 10 ms; and an intensity below the threshold of sensitivity (with a maximum of 750 μA). There were used 4 transcutaneous electrodes in the abdominal region (parallel position). Microcurrent was done with supervision from a distance, using information technologies (SMS, phone, email ...), and when necessary it was resorted to routine meetings.
OTHER	Cardiovascular Risk Factors	It was handed flyers on major cardiovascular risk factors: cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking and hypertension.

Timeline

• Start date: 2012-09-01
• Primary completion: 2013-07-01
• Completion: 2013-09-01
• First posted: 2013-06-26
• Last updated: 2014-01-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Portugal