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

老年体弱患者长期留置导尿的趋势随年龄增长而增加。然而，长期导尿与发病率和死亡率增加、体力活动受限和护理负担增加有关。本研究探讨腹部电刺激（ES）对老年虚弱患者的影响。五名住进养老院的老年病人参与了这项研究。在研究期间，所有受试者每周接受2次普通物理治疗。受试者被分为ES组和non-ES组。ES组3例受试者腹腔应用ES，持续8周。本研究结果显示，ES组的运动表现有所改善。因此，腹腔ES可能是老年体弱长期留置导尿管患者康复的新方法之一。

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.