Author/Editor		Kralj, A; Ačimovič, R; Stanič, U
Title		Enhancement of hemiplegic patient rehabilitation by means of functional electrical stimulation
Type		članek
Source		Prosthet Orthot Int
Vol. and No.		Letnik 17, št. 2
Publication year		1993
Volume		str. 107-14
Language		eng
Abstract		This presentation will review briefly the current practice and state of the art in functional electrical stimulation (FES) as applied to stroke, head injured or brain tumour operated patients. A similar application is used in paretic patients following trauma or other aetiology. Over 20 years experience in the application of FES, as practised in Ljubljana, will be highlighted and the devices currently in use will be described. The statistics show the results obtained on 2,500 hemiplegic patients examined for FES application during the last 10 years. The statistics and results of the Slovenian population indicate 0.15-0.20 percent new cases annually or 1,500 new cases per million inhabitants. Up to 63 percent of annual cases are candidates for an FES based therapeutic locomotion rehabilitation programme. Experience indicates that 60 percent of hemiplegic patients received single-channel stimulation to correct equinovarus or foot drop, 30 percent obtained dual or even three channel stimulation treatment and only 10 percent of patients were involved in multichannel FES of four to six or even eight channels of stimulation. The benefits and outcome of rehabilitation will be presented and discussed in regard to current trends in the field of FES for hemiplegic and paretic patients. The partly inactive but very important field of FES application to the upper extremity in hemiplegic and paretic patients will be discussed and the relatively modest achievements presented. Future developments will be presented together with advances foreseen by steadily improving technology.
Descriptors		ELECTRIC STIMULATION THERAPY HEMIPLEGIA PARESIS EARLY AMBULATION ELECTRIC STIMULATION THERAPY EQUIPMENT DESIGN HEMIPLEGIA PARESIS SLOVENIA TREATMENT OUTCOME