Patient functionality and walking speed after discharge from the intensive care unit

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

• Post-intensive care unit (ICU) patients often experience functional decline.
• Assessing functional recovery during hospitalization is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify and compare patient functional mobility after ICU discharge versus hospital discharge.
• To evaluate functional changes during the hospital stay.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study involving 40 patients at a university hospital.
• A 10-meter walk test was administered at two time points: post-ICU discharge and pre-hospital discharge.
• Data analyzed using Student's t-test and correlation analyses (SPSS v21.0).

Main Results:

• Mean walking speed increased from 0.48 m/s post-ICU discharge to 0.71 m/s before hospital discharge (p < 0.001).
• Significant functional improvement was observed during the hospital stay.
• The study included a majority of male participants (60%) with a mean age of 57.1 years.

Conclusions:

• Patients demonstrate significant gains in walking speed by the time of hospital discharge compared to immediately after ICU discharge.
• Hospitalization facilitates notable functional recovery in mobility.
• These findings underscore the importance of continued rehabilitation efforts before hospital discharge.