Project
Combining muscle contractions and protein intake to prevent muscle wasting in the intensive care
Critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients experience great muscle loss, leading to an increased risk of death and prolonged rehabilitation times. Physical inactivity, as a result of mechanical ventilation and sedation, is believed to be an important contributor to muscle loss. Mimicking physical activity through electrical stimulation of the whole body, simultaneously with the intake of protein-rich food, may support the maintenance of muscle mass. The effect of this, however, remains unknown.
Background
Extreme muscle loss is accompanied by impairs in muscle protein and glucose metabolism. The mechanisms underlying muscle wasting in ICU patients include immobility, malnutrition and the complete lack of muscle contraction.
Description
There is a lack of an effective strategy to prevent muscle loss in ICU patients, and thereby improve muscle mass retention and quality of life. The goal of this project, is to improve our understanding on muscle metabolism during immobilization, and for the first time, test the effects of a whole-body electrical stimulation, with or without timed protein intake, on muscle protein and glucose metabolism.
More information about this project can be found here.