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

年老体弱者长期留置导尿的倾向随着年龄的增长而增加，然而，长期留置导尿与发病率和死亡率的增加、体力活动受限和护理负担的增加有关。本研究探讨腹部电刺激（ES）对此类体弱老年患者的影响。五名入住养老院的老年患者参加了本研究。在研究期间，所有受试者每周接受两次一般物理治疗。受试者被分配到ES组和非ES组。ES组3例，腹部应用ES，共8周。这项研究的结果表明，ES组的运动表现有所改善。因此，腹部ES可能是长期留置导尿的年老体弱患者的新的康复方法之一。

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.