Arm function improved for patients who had moderate-to-severe arm weakness at least nine months after ischemic stroke<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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MONDAY, May 10, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Patients with long-term loss of arm function after ischemic stroke have improvement in arm function following rehabilitation paired with vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), according to a study published in the April 24 issue of The Lancet<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jesse Dawson, M.D., from the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a randomized, triple-blind, sham-controlled trial in 19 stroke rehabilitation services in the United Kingdom and the United States. A total of 108 participants with moderate-to-severe arm weakness at least nine months after ischemic stroke were randomly assigned to rehabilitation paired with active VNS (VNS group; 53 participants) or rehabilitation paired with sham stimulation (control group; 55 participants).<\/p>\n The researchers found that the Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score increased by 5.0 points in the VNS group and by 2.4 points in the control group on the first day after completion of in-clinic therapy (between-group difference, 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.0 to 4.2; P = 0.0014). A clinically meaningful response on the FMA-UE score was achieved in 47 and 24 percent of patients in the VNS and control groups, respectively, at 90 days after in-clinic therapy (between-group difference, 24 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 6 to 41 percent; P = 0.0098). One serious adverse event related to surgery occurred in the control group (vocal cord paresis).<\/p>\n “These study results are the first of their kind, and open up new possibilities for stroke patients, allowing them to reclaim more arm function even years after having a stroke,” a coauthor said in a statement.<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n