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Post-operative Electrical Muscle Stimulation to Stimulate Muscle Protein Synthesis in Humans

NCT05997095 · Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 10

Last updated 2025-05-02

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Skeletal muscle accounts for approximately 45-55% of total body mass in healthy adults and plays a pivotal role in whole-body metabolic health, locomotion and physical independence. Undesirable loss of skeletal muscle mass (atrophy) is, however, a common feature of many communicable and non-communicable diseases including ageing, bed-rest/immobilisation, cancer and physical inactivity. As such, the design of optimal strategies (e.g., different types of exercise) to "offset" these detrimental losses of muscle is a focus for both researchers and clinicians.

One situation where losses of muscle mass occur very quickly (i.e., within a few days) is after surgery. However, at this time, most people (especially if they have had major abdominal or lower-limb surgery) are not able to perform exercise and as such a different strategy to maintain muscle mass needs to be found. It has been shown that electrical stimulation of the leg muscles can maintain muscle mass and function in patients after surgery. It is not however yet known, what the optimal electrical stimulation regime is to preserve muscle mass during situations of disuse.

This study aims to examine the impact of three different electrical stimulation protocols on muscle building processes in individuals age-matched to those most commonly presenting for major abdominal surgery. This information will then be used in a clinical trial of surgical patients to see if it can preserve their muscle mass and function in the post-operative period.

Conditions

  • Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

Interventions

OTHER

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES/0

NMES will be applied for 30 min and will be delivered using an approved, CE-marked device (Premier Combo Plus, Med-Fit Ltd, UK) using two large (7.5 × 13 cm) electrodes placed proximally and distally over the lateral quadriceps. The set protocols will be pre-programmed into to the device and the amplitude value will match the setting that was determined during a familiarisation visit

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Nottingham

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
60 Years
Max Age
85 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2023-05-22
Primary Completion
2025-09-28
Completion
2025-12-28

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT05997095 on ClinicalTrials.gov