Early mobilization practice in a single Brazilian intensive care unit

Objectives: To characterize the provision of early mobilization therapy in critically ill patients in a Brazilian medical intensive care unit (ICU) and to investigate the relationship between physical activity level and clinical outcomes. Methods: Intensive care unit and physiotherapy data were collected retrospectively from 275 consecutive patients. Here we report on the subset of patients (n = 120) who were mechanically ventilated during their ICU stay (age, 49 +/- 18 years; Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3, 45 [25]). Results: Median (interquartile range) time of mechanical ventilation and ICU length of stay were 3 (4) and 8 (10) days, respectively. Intensive care unit and 1-year mortality were 31% and 50%, respectively. During the ICU stay, these patients all received respiratory physiotherapy and 90% (n = 108) received mobilization therapy. When intubated and ventilated, mobilization therapy was performed in 76% (n = 92) of the patients with no adverse events. The most common activity was in-bed exercises (55%), and the number of out-of-bed activities (sitting out of bed, standing, or walking) was small (29%) and more prevalent in patients with tracheostomy than with an endotracheal tube (27% x 2%, respectively). Conclusion: In our Brazilian ICU, mobilization therapy in critically ill patients was safe and feasible; however, similar to other countries, in-bed exercises were the most prevalent activity. During mechanical ventilation, only a small percentage of activities involved standing or mobilizing away from the bed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.