A mechanically ventilated patient in the ICU uses the RT-300 supine bicycle to strengthen his legs while Dr Michelle Kho looks on. (Photo courtesy of Marta Hewson/Photography)
Critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit may safely begin in-bed cycling sessions with their therapists early on in their ICU stay, and may recover more quickly, a recent study suggests.
“People may think that ICU patients are too sick for physical activity, but we know that if patients start in-bed cycling 2 weeks into their ICU stay, they will walk farther at hospital discharge,” says Michelle Kho, an assistant professor with the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and physiotherapist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, in a media release from McMaster University.
Kho lead author of the TryCYCLE study, published recently in PLOS ONE, adds that, “Our TryCYCLE study finds it is safe and feasible to systematically start in-bed cycling within the first 4 days of mechanical ventilation and continue throughout a patient’s ICU stay.”
The 1-year study, conducted by Kho and her colleages, included 33 patients admitted to the ICU at St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. They all were 18 years of age or older, received mechanical ventilation, and walked independently prior to receiving care.
All patients underwent 30 minutes of supine cycling using a motorized stationary bicycle affixed to the bed, 6 days a week. The special in-bed cycling equipment was provided by the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, per the release.
The patients started cycling within the first 3 days of ICU admission and cycled about 9 km on average during their ICU stay.
“Patients’ abilities to cycle during critical illness exceeded our expectations,” Kho states in the release.
Kho adds in the release that more research is needed to determine if this early cycling with critically ill patients improves their physical function. The next step could be to have several hospital ICUs start the in-bed cycling study in a pilot randomized trial.
[Source(s): McMaster University, EurekAlert]
