Objective:

To describe the safety profile and clinical outcomes of whole-body electrical muscle stimulation (WB-EMS) as an adjunct to standard cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in a patient with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Approach:

• Patient Profile: A 73-year-old male with recurrent NSTEMI, chronic heart failure (LVEF 20%-25%), and NYHA class III underwent a 24-day inpatient CR program augmented with WB-EMS.
• Intervention Details: Standard CR was combined with WB-EMS sessions (85 Hz, 20 min, three times per week) monitored for safety using various biomarkers.

Key Findings:

• LVEF improved from 27% to 54%.
• Peak workload increased from 66 to 97 W (+47%).
• Six-minute walk test distance improved from 390 to 590 m (+51%).
• Peak oxygen uptake increased from 17.42 to 19.02 mL/min/kg (+9.2%).
• Quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) improved from 60 to 90/100.
• Safety biomarkers remained within acceptable limits with no adverse events attributable to WB-EMS.

Interpretation:

The findings suggest that WB-EMS may be a safe and effective adjunct to standard CR in patients with HFrEF, though further randomized trials are needed to confirm these results.

Limitations:

• This is a single case study, limiting generalizability.
• Multiple concurrent interventions prevent causal attribution to WB-EMS alone.
• Further research is required to establish long-term effects.

Conclusion:

Further investigation is warranted to explore the role of WB-EMS in cardiac rehabilitation for patients with HFrEF.