Effects of Diaphragmatic and Abdominal Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Post-PCI Patients

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) improves coronary blood flow in patients withcoronary artery disease; however, many patients continue to experience reduced pulmonaryfunction, impaired gas exchange, decreased cardiac performance, and limited functionalcapacity after the procedure. These issues are often related to respiratory muscleweakness, immobilization, and altered ventilatory mechanics. Conventional cardiacrehabilitation focuses mainly on aerobic and resistance training, with limited emphasison respiratory muscle strengthening.Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a non‐invasive technique that inducesmuscle contractions and may enhance both inspiratory and expiratory muscle function whenapplied to the diaphragm and abdominal muscles. This study aims to evaluate theeffectiveness of combined diaphragmatic and abdominal NMES as an adjunct to standardcardiac rehabilitation in post‐PCI patients.In this randomized controlled trial, 42 hemodynamically stable patients aged 40‐75 yearswill be randomly assigned to either an intervention group (NMES plus standardrehabilitation) or a control group (standard rehabilitation alone). The NMES interventionwill be applied for 30 minutes per session, five days per week, for two weeks.Outcome measures will include arterial blood gases (PaO₂, PaCO₂, SaO₂), pulmonaryfunction (FVC, FEV₁, PEFR), left ventricular ejection fraction, and functional capacityassessed by the 6‐minute walk test. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and afterthe intervention.This study aims to determine whether NMES can improve respiratory and functional outcomesand serve as an effective adjunct to conventional cardiac rehabilitation in post‐PCIpatients.