A mobilização passiva com cicloergômetro e seus efeitos sobre a força muscular, tempo de ventilação mecânica e internação hospitalar em pacientes críticos

Abstract

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is the hospital department destined to care critical patients who require continuous assistance. However, patients admitted in this sector are exposed to deleterious effects of immobility, like generalized muscle weakness. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of passive early mobilization with cycloergometer in muscle strength, time on mechanical ventilation and length hospital stay of patients admitted to the adult ICU of the University Hospital of Santa Maria. The study is a randomized clinical trial. The sample consisted of 38 patients randomly assigned to a control group (n = 16), treated with conventional physiotherapy, and intervention group (n = 22) that additionally received a protocol using a cycloergometer for lower limbs. The analyzed outcomes were peripheral muscle strength, measured by Medical Research Council scale, time on mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay, through data collection and analysis of medical records. The intervention group showed an increase in muscle strength for shoulder abduction (p = 0.013), elbow flexion (p = 0.006), wrist extension (p = 0.002), hip flexion (p = 0.005) and ankle dorsiflexion (p=0.026), while the control group presented muscle strength increment only to wrist extension (p = 0.020). The analysis comparing groups for peripheral muscle strength, time on mechanical ventilation and length of hospital stay, had not statistically significant results. In this way, the study will continue in order to obtain a better understanding to the influence of passive early mobilization with cycloergometer.