Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and Septic Shock

Inclusion Criteria:The patients admitted to the intensive care unit will be considered eligible if: * they present in the first 72 hours the diagnosis of septic shock according to the international consensus definition of septic shock, and * stable hemodynamics through fluid resuscitation, and * vasoactive drugs and mechanical ventilation. Exclusion Criteria:The exclusion criteria will be patients aged less than 18 years and greater than 65 years, pregnant women, brain death, neuromuscular diseases, use of pre-existing neuromuscular blocker in the last 24 hours, prior to the study protocol. * Contraindications for the use of NMES: fractures, burns and skin lesions, systemic vascular impairment diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, thromboembolic disease, deep vein thrombosis (which was not therapeutically anticoagulated for a time greater than 36 hours), lower limb amputations, cardiac pacemaker, thrombocytopenia less than 20,000/mm3, BMI greater than 35 kg/m2, important lower extremity oedema, agitation and/or signs of pain during the electrical stimulation. * Contraindications to begin or continue NMES procedure: Mean arterial blood pressure less than 65 mmHg, use of vasopressor \>50% of the maximum dose (dopamine \>12.5 µg/kg per minute; vasopressin \>0.02U/min and norepinephrine \>1 µg/kg per minute), heart rate \<50 or \>140 bpm, arrhythmias with hemodynamic consequences, myocardial ischemia, temperature \<34 or \>39oC, intracranial pressure \>20 cmH2O, decrease in 10% of SpO2 baseline value or \<88% for more than one minute.