Being Awake, Upright and Moving as the Basis for Early ICU Physiotherapy

Summary

Patients who have been admitted to Intensive Care Units (ICU) and are intubated and mechanically ventilated for longer than 48 hours have impaired physical, psychological and social health and well-being six to twelve months after discharge. The advocacy of intensive physiotherapy and mobilization early in the course of critical illness has been established. It is of great importance to study the long-term outcomes (physical function and quality of life) in intubated and ventilated patients who start exercising and ambulating mobilizing) as soon as possible during ICU stay because the most effective mode, intensity or frequency of exercise needs to be identified.

The aim is to study the short- and long-term outcomes of enhanced early physiotherapy and upright position in critically ill patients on prolonged invasive ventilation and to develop principles to guide physiotherapists in their clinical decision making in the ICU.

Conditions

• Critical Illness

Interventions

OTHER

Usual Physiotherapy

o Patients will receive the usual physiotherapy treatment in ICU in Iceland from day 5 after intubation, which adheres to international standards of practice, including the potential for no treatment. Usual physiotherapy once daily for 20 minutes.

OTHER

Enhanced Physiotherapy

o Patients will receive the intervention physiotherapy treatment consisting of exercises and a progressive upright positioning and mobilization (20 minutes) twice daily from day 3 (\>48 hours) after intubation including the potential for no treatment, if they are stable, even though they are not completely alert, Total treatment time of 40 minutes.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Iceland

  collaborator OTHER

• Landspitali University Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Elizabeth Dean, PhD · University of Iceland

• Gísli H Sigurðsson, PhD · Landspítali University Hospital and University of Iceland

• Þórarinn Sveinsson, PhD · University of Iceland

• Helga Jónsdóttir, PhD · University of Iceland

• Alma Möller, PhD · Landspítali University Hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2011-11-30

Primary Completion

2015-11-30

Completion

2015-11-30

Countries

• Iceland

Study Locations