Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Condition: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
MeSH terms: Pulmonary Fibrosis; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis; Fibrosis
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Pulmonary rehabilitation should be initiated and lifelong at the time of diagnosis for
      patients with IPF. However, the symptoms of the disease and its progression limit clinical
      options in terms of participation and sustainability in rehabilitation programs. For this
      purpose, patients with IPF need physiotherapy and rehabilitation options that will not
      increase the symptoms associated with exercise and contribute to the program in the long
      term. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a rehabilitation option that can be
      applied to specific muscle groups without the ventilator and cardiac load especially in
      patients who can not actively exercise or have decreased muscle strength. In adult patients
      with an advanced disease characterized by reduced muscle strength, the use of NMES in
      addition to aerobic exercise programs is recommended as part of rehabilitation programs. In
      the literature, no studies investigating the efficacy of NMES have been found in individuals
      with IPF or interstitial lung disease. NMES application in addition to aerobic exercise seems
      to be a reasonable option when considering the symptoms of patients with IPF and the
      progression of the disease. The aim of this project is to investigate the efficacy of NMES in
      addition to aerobic exercise in IPF patients based on evidence by objective methods.
    

Detailed description: 
      Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive, fibrotic interstitial lung disease
      characterized by progressive dyspnoea, reduced exercise capacity, quality of life, and
      classified as a rare disease. With the increase in medical treatment options, the progression
      of the disease slows down. Increased time of survival has increased the need for pulmonary
      rehabilitation programs that have been shown to be effective in patients' exercise capacity,
      participation in daily living activities, and improvement in the quality of life. Patients
      with IPF have been shown to be able to improve dyspnoea, fatigue, exercise capacity, daily
      living activities and quality of life with home-based or supervised breathing, posture,
      strengthening and aerobic/endurance exercise programs.

      Pulmonary rehabilitation should be initiated and lifelong at the time of diagnosis for
      patients with IPF. However, the symptoms of the disease and its progression limit clinical
      options in terms of participation and sustainability in rehabilitation programs. For this
      purpose, patients with IPF need physiotherapy and rehabilitation options that will not
      increase the symptoms associated with exercise and contribute to the program in the long
      term. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a rehabilitation option that can be
      applied to specific muscle groups without the ventilator and cardiac load especially in
      patients who can not actively exercise or have decreased muscle strength. In adult patients
      with an advanced disease characterized by reduced muscle strength, the use of NMES in
      addition to aerobic exercise programs is recommended as part of rehabilitation programs. In
      the literature, no studies investigating the efficacy of NMES have been found in individuals
      with IPF or interstitial lung disease. NMES application in addition to aerobic exercise seems
      to be a reasonable option when considering the symptoms of patients with IPF and the
      progression of the disease. The aim of this project is to investigate the efficacy of NMES in
      addition to aerobic exercise in IPF patients based on evidence by objective methods.
    

Intervention name(s): Aerobic exercise; Neuromuscular electrical stimulation
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): A 20-30 minutes low-medium intensity aerobic exercise training with cycling ergometer.; Bilateral NMES application on Quadriceps femoris muscle will be applied as symmetrical biphasic square wave current with a wave frequency of 35-60 Hz, phase transition time of 8 seconds and active resting time of 15 seconds
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Thirty IPF patients aged 40-80 years who are followed up at Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical Faculty Chest Disease Department will include in the study. Participants will be divided into two groups as the NMES group and the Sham Training Group, using a computer-assisted randomization table.
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: pulmonary rehabilitation; neuromuscular electrical stimulation