Effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation therapy on physical function in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia: Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

摘要

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been considered as a promising approach for the early rehabilitation of patients during and/or after intensive care unit (ICU) stay. The overall objective of this study is to evaluate the NMES effectiveness to counteract the post-ICU impairment in physical function of COVID-19 patients. The specific aim of this manuscript is to describe the study design, protocol, content of interventions, primary and secondary outcomes and to discuss the clinical rehabilitation impact of the expected experimental results.