OBJECTIVE: To assess the additional effect of a home-based neuro muscular electrical stimulation (NMES) program as an add-on to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), on functional capacity in subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN: Single-blind, multicenter randomized trial. SETTING: Three PR centers. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects with severe to very severe COPD referred for PR (n = 73; median FEV1 1 (0.8 to 1.4) L). Twenty-two subjects discontinued the study but only one drop-out was related to the intervention (leg discomfort). INTERVENTION: Subjects were randomly assigned to either PR plus quadricipital home-based NMES (35 Hz, 30 min, five time per week) or PR without NMES for 8 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The six-minute walk test was used to assess functional capacity. RESULTS: Eighty-two percent of the scheduled NMES sessions were performed. In the whole sample, there were significant increases in the distance walked during the 6MWT (p < 0.01), VO2peak (p = 0.02), Wmax (p < 0.01), mMRC (p < 0.01) and SGRQ total score (p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in the magnitude of change for any outcome between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based NMES as an add-on to PR did not result in further improvements in subjects with severe to very severe COPD, moreover, it may have been a burden for some patients.

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