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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Breathing-controlled Electrical Stimulation (BreEStim) for Management of Neuropathic Pain and Spasticity
Published on: January 10, 2013
What are the electrical stimulation design parameters for maximum VO2 aimed at cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation?
Conor M Minogue1, Brian M Caulfield, Richard B Reilly
1Biomedical Research Ltd and the UCD School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland. minogue@bmr.ie
Abstract:
Electrical Stimulation (ES) is increasingly being considered as a means to improve cardio-pulmonary performance in patients with reduced exercise capacity. This short review considers the ES signal parameters and protocols used in studies that have included a measurement of oxygen uptake during the session. It suggests that the tetanic signal parameters normally used for muscle strengthening are not suitable for producing a sustained increase in oxygen uptake. Instead, very low frequencies are preferred, perhaps because there is less fatigue of the type 1 muscle fibers.
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