Rehabilitation in the ICU: An Update of Current Knowledge

Overview

Prolonged admissions to critical care are associated with the development of several complications, including physical deconditioning, fatigue, loss of functional independence, and decreased quality of life. The early initiation of physical rehabilitation in critical care may help mitigate some of the iatrogenic effects of protracted immobilization and medical management received in the intensive care unit.

Over the last several decades, the evidence supporting the early initiation of rehabilitation has been conflicting, leading to challenges with clinical implementation of the evidence. This presentation will explore the historical perspective of early mobilization literature, review the growing body of early rehabilitation research, discuss the challenges in interpreting conflicting results, and highlight knowledge gaps that may inform future research.

This presentation will provide clinicians with an opportunity to discuss the current best evidence supporting the role of physiotherapy and early rehabilitation in critical care. This session will cover important issues for bedside clinicians, including when to initiate early mobilization with critically ill patients, whether early mobilization is safe and feasible given conflicting evidence, and what modalities/techniques to consider using with patients.

A brief historical context of both critical care and early rehabilitation will also be provided to better appreciate how far the discipline as progressed since the inaugural ICU in the 1950s.

Join the Cardiorespiratory Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association for this on-demand course.

Speaker: Dr. Anastasia Newman

Dr. Anastasia Newman completed both her Masters of Physiotherapy (2006) and Masters of Rehabilitation Science (2011) at McMaster University. She worked as a critical care physiotherapist at the Hamilton General Hospital from 2007 to 2020. Dr. Newman completed her PhD in 2021 and recently finished a postdoctoral fellowship in August 2023. Her research focuses on the role of early mobilization in the management of patients with critical illnesses and on the impact of pulmonary rehabilitation in people with chronic respiratory conditions. She is currently an Assistant Professor in School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.