Clinical cardiology
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Clinical cardiology · Dec 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyEffects of Acute Phase Intensive Electrical Muscle Stimulation in Frail Elderly Patients With Acute Heart Failure (ACTIVE-EMS): Rationale and protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
In elderly patients with acute heart failure (AHF), clinical outcome is adversely affected by frailty. Although a number of potentially effective interventions for frailty have been reported, little is known about the effects of rehabilitation programs in frail elderly AHF patients. We postulated that addition of electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), which induces muscle contraction without requiring patient volition, to early rehabilitation would be efficacious in frail elderly AHF patients. ⋯ The primary endpoint of the trial is the change in quadriceps isometric strength between baseline and 2 weeks, with changes in physical function and cognitive function, and clinical safety and feasibility of EMS therapy as secondary outcomes. ACTIVE-EMS is the first randomized trial to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of adding EMS therapy to early rehabilitation in frail elderly AHF patients. The results of this study will provide insight for the development of appropriate rehabilitation programs for this high-risk population.
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Clinical cardiology · Dec 2017
Randomized Controlled TrialLong-term use of continuous positive airway pressure therapy in coronary artery disease patients with nonsleepy obstructive sleep apnea.
Excessive daytime sleepiness is a frequent symptom of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and has been proposed as a motivator for adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. However, excessive daytime sleepiness is absent in many patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant OSA. We evaluated long-term use of CPAP and predictors of CPAP use in nonsleepy and sleepy OSA patients from a CAD cohort. ⋯ Long-term use of CPAP is likely to be challenging for CAD patients with nonsleepy OSA. Early CPAP use is an important predictor of continued long-term use of CPAP, so optimizing patients' initial experience with CPAP could promote adherence.