Neuromuscular electrical stimulation in a patient with chronic heart failure due to chagas disease: a case report

A 65-year-old sedentary male patient with 10 years ofCHF symptoms due to Chagas disease was referred to theDepartment of Cardiac Rehabilitation of the Ana NeriHospital - UFBA in August of 2009. The diagnosis of Chagasdisease was defined by the positive result of two serologicaltests [indirect immunofluorescence and enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (ELISA)]. To exclude the possibilityof an ischemic heart disease, the patient underwent cardiaccatheterization, followed by angiography. The studiedpatient was in New York Heart Association (NYHA)functional class IV and had a left ventricular ejectionfraction of 40%. An evaluation of patient exercise capacityby a cardiopulmonary exercise test was initially attempted;however, the patient could not tolerate the testing becauseof excessive fatigue in the first minute of the exam. Instead,a six-minute walking test in a 30-m corridor was performedto evaluate the patient’s exercise capacity. For this test,previously standardized instructions were followed.