0195 : Muscular effects of electrical myostimulation in heart failure patients. CREMS-HF substudy (SFC)

Background Exercise training (ET) is a valuable method to improve exercise tolerance in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. Some studies reported a similar improvement by quadricipital electrical myostimulation (EMS), but the effect of combination of the two methods remains unknown. Aim of the study to evaluate if EMS have any additive effect on benefits of ET in CHF patients. Methods 91 patients were included (mean age: 58 ± 9 yo; NYHA II/III: 52/48%, LVEF: 29.7 ± 7%) in a multicentric French study. The patients were randomized into two groups: ET (41 pts) and ET + EMS (50 pts). All patients underwent 20 ET sessions. In addition, in the ET+EMS group, patients underwent 20 low frequency (10Hz) quadricipital EMS session (20« on/20« off, 1 hour/session). All the patients performed a cardiopulmonary exercise test and a 6’walk test at baseline and at the end of the program. Muscular circumference, strength and biological assays (CPK, LDH, Aldolase, Myoglobin) were determined before and after the program. Results Data analysis revealed a significant improvement of exercise capacity (15%) for all patients without significant differences between the two groups. Muscular data are displayed in the table, but differences do not reach the statistical significance. Conclusion EMS and voluntary muscular contraction have different effects on structural and functional muscular adaptations