Effect of In-Bed Leg Cycling and Electrical Stimulation of the Quadriceps on Global Muscle Strength in Critically Ill Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Early in-bed cycling and electrical muscle stimulation may improve the benefits of rehabilitation in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Objective: To investigate whether early in-bed leg cycling plus electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles added to standardized early rehabilitation would result in greater muscle strength at discharge from the ICU. Design, Setting, and Participants: Single-center, randomized clinical trial enrolling critically ill adult patients at 1 ICU within an 1100-bed hospital in France. Enrollment lasted from July 2014 to June 2016 and there was a 6-month follow-up, which ended on November 24, 2016. Interventions: Patients were randomized to early in-bed leg cycling plus electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles added to standardized early rehabilitation (n = 159) or standardized early rehabilitation alone (usual care) (n = 155). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was muscle strength at discharge from the ICU assessed by physiotherapists blinded to treatment group using the Medical Research Council grading system (score range, 0-60 points; a higher score reflects better muscle strength; minimal clinically important difference of 4 points). Secondary outcomes at ICU discharge included the number of ventilator-free days and ICU Mobility Scale score (range, 0-10; a higher score reflects better walking capability). Functional autonomy and health-related quality of life were assessed at 6 months. Results: Among 314 randomized patients, 312 (mean age, 66 years; women, 36%; receiving mechanical ventilation at study inclusion, 78%) completed the study and were included in the analysis. The median global Medical Research Council score at ICU discharge was 48 (interquartile range [IQR], 29 to 58) in the intervention group and 51 (IQR, 37 to 58) in the usual care group (median difference, -3.0 [95% CI, -7.0 to 2.8]; P = .28). The ICU Mobility Scale score at ICU discharge was 6 (IQR, 3 to 9) in both groups (median difference, 0 [95% CI, -1 to 2]; P = .52). The median number of ventilator-free days at day 28 was 21 (IQR, 6 to 25) in the intervention group and 22 (IQR, 10 to 25) in the usual care group (median difference, 1 [95% CI, -2 to 3]; P = .24). Clinically significant events occurred during mobilization sessions in 7 patients (4.4%) in the intervention group and in 9 patients (5.8%) in the usual care group. There were no significant between-group differences in the outcomes assessed at 6 months. Conclusions and Relevance: In this single-center randomized clinical trial involving patients admitted to the ICU, adding early in-bed leg cycling exercises and electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles to a standardized early rehabilitation program did not improve global muscle strength at discharge from the ICU. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02185989.

Cough Peak Flow Assessment Without Disconnection From the ICU Ventilator in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

BACKGROUND: Because ICU ventilators incorporate flow velocity measurement, cough peak expiratory flow (CPF) can be assessed without disconnecting the patient from the ICU ventilator. Our goal was to estimate the correlation between CPF obtained with the built-in ventilator flow meter (ventilator CPF) and CPF obtained with an electronic portable handheld peak flow meter connected to the endotracheal tube. METHODS: Cooperative mechanically ventilated patients who entered the weaning process and who were ventilated with pressure support < 15 cm H2O and PEEP < 9 cm H2O were eligible for the study. Their CPF measurements obtained on the extubation day were kept for analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed CPF obtained in 61 subjects. The mean ± SD value of ventilator CPF and peak flow meter CPF were 72.6 ± 27.5 L/min and 31.1 ± 13.4 L/min. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.63 (95% CI 0.45-0.76), P < .001. The ventilator CPF had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.84 (95% CI 0.75-0.93) to predict a peak flow meter CPF < 35 L/min. Neither ventilator CPF nor peak flow meter CPF differed significantly between subjects who were or were not re-intubated within 72 h (n = 5) and failed to predict re-intubation at 72 h (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.64 [95% CI 0.46-0.82] and 0.47 [95% CI 0.22-0.74]). CONCLUSIONS: CPF measurements using a built-in ventilator flow meter were feasible in routine practice with cooperative ICU subjects who were intubated and correlated with CPF assessed by an electronic portable peak flow meter.