Effects of electrical stimulation of the abdomen in inactive elderly patients with chronic indwelling urinary catheters

在虚弱的老年人中，长期留置导尿的倾向随着年龄的增长而增加。然而，长期导尿会增加发病率和死亡率，限制体力活动，增加护理负担。本研究以入住养老院的5名老年患者为研究对象，研究了腹部电刺激对体弱老年患者的影响。在研究期间，所有受试者均接受每周两次的一般物理治疗。受试者被分配到ES组和非ES组。ES组有3例患者进行了8周的腹部ES治疗。这项研究的结果显示，ES组的运动能力有所改善。因此，腹式ES可能是长期留置导尿管的虚弱老年患者的一种新的康复方法。

The tendency for long-term indwelling urethral catheterization in the frail elderly increases with aging.However, long-term urethral catheterization is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, limited physical activity, and an increased burden of care. This study investigated the effects of abdominal electric stimulation (ES) in such frail elderly patients.Five elderly patients who were admitted to a nursing home participated in this study.During the study period, all subjects received general physical therapy twice a week. The subjects were assigned to the ES and non-ES groups. ES was applied to the abdomen of 3 subjects in the ES group for 8 weeks. The results of this study showed an improvement in motor performance in the ES group. Therefore, abdominal ES may be among the new rehabilitation methods for frail elderly patients with long-term indwelling urethral catheters.