Early Mobilization in the Intensive Care Unit

Survivors of critical illness frequently suffer from disability associated with neuromuscular weakness. This can substantially impact their quality of life and ability to return home, and often results in the need for further rehabilitation. Early and aggressive physical and occupational therapy, beginning upon admission to the intensive care unit, can substantially reduce this functional disability and has been shown to impact numerous parameters including ICU and hospital length of stay, time needed to wean from mechanical ventilation, the incidence of delirium, and even rates of readmission and post-discharge mortality. While early mobilization has been shown to be both safe and feasible in a variety of ICU settings, it requires an interdisciplinary approach and changes to the ‘culture’ of the ICU. While the early results have been very encouraging, more research is needed to identify the optimal approach and the full extent of the benefits it may offer.