Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Preserves Muscle Size and Quality and Maintains Systemic Levels of Signaling Mediators of Muscle Growth and Inflammation in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Table 1

Clinical characteristics on admission in the control and NMES groups.

Characteristics	Control (n = 20)	NMES (n = 20)
Age (yr)	36.5 (13.5)	34.7 (11.2)
Male sex, n (%)	16 (80%)	16 (80%)
APACHE II score	16.7 (4.5)	16.1 (4.6)
AIS (head)	5 [5-5]	5 [5-5]
AIS (lower extremities)	1 [0-1]	1 [0-1]
Hemoglobin (g/dL)	12.0 (2.6)	12.6 (3.5)
Leukocytes (×10^3/μL)	13.875 (6.329)	16.552 (6.614)
PaO2/FiO2 ratio	258.7 (81.9)	282.5 (64.1)
ISS	30 [25–35]	30 [27–35]
Cause of injury
Motorcycle, n (%)	3 (15%)	5 (25%)
Motor vehicle, n (%)	6 (30%)	1 (5%)
Beating, n (%)	3 (15%)	3 (15%)
Gunshot, n (%)	4 (20%)	2 (10%)
Pedestrians, n (%)	3 (15%)	8 (40%)
Fall, n (%)	1 (5%)	1 (5%)
Penetrating trauma mechanism, n (%)	5 (25%)	2 (10%)
Operative intervention, n (%)	13 (65%)	12 (60%)

Continuous variables are expressed as mean (standard deviation) or median [interquartile range], and categorical variables are expressed as absolute and relative value = n (%). NMES: neuromuscular electrical stimulation; APACHE II: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II; AIS: Abbreviated Injury Scale; ISS: Injury Severity Score; PaO₂/FiO₂: ratio of arterial oxygen tension to inspired oxygen fraction.