Pulmonary-Focused Verticalization Therapy in Patients Experiencing Respiratory Failure

Mechanical ventilation and prone positioning are high-risk procedures for patients and health care team members, increasing patients' risk of secondary infection and pressure injuries, as well as increasing staff workload and risk of injury or contracting infectious diseases. Verticalization therapy is the practice of controlled, in-bed, upright positioning. Previous research showed increases in oxygenation during verticalization therapy, which suggests that verticalization therapy may be beneficial in patients with respiratory failure.

To investigate the safety and feasibility of verticalization therapy in patients experiencing respiratory distress, including patients with COVID-19.

A convenience sample of adult patients in the medical respiratory intensive care unit at a mid-Atlantic urban academic medical center received up to 2 verticalization therapy sessions daily for a goal of 30 to 120 minutes each.

The study aimed to enroll 15 participants, but suspended recruitment after 6 because of clinical team concerns that some participants were experiencing hypotension and decreases in oxygen saturation during verticalization, as well as lack of adequate nursing staff time. Most participants tolerated verticalization therapy, but one participant's initial verticalization therapy session was stopped at 30° because of hypotension and desaturation. The unit lacked nursing staff needed to consistently verticalize participants.

The small number of participants limits interpretation of study findings. Future studies should consider baseline critical illness severity and a slower rate of verticalization. Although it is unclear whether verticalization therapy decreases demands on physicians, advanced practice providers, and respiratory therapists, it clearly increased nursing workload in this study.