Effect of robotic-assisted gait training on functional independence measure scores in patients with acquired brain injury: retrospective study.
Andrea M Ethier, Luis A Escalante, Nathan West and 1 others
PMID 40491690WHAT IT FOUND
In patients with acquired brain injury, adding Ekso robotic gait training to inpatient rehabilitation did not improve functional independence scores more than standard therapy.
More Ekso sessions did not predict better discharge scores.
Key findings
01The primary outcome, change in overall FIM score from admission to discharge, was not significantly different between groups.
02No FIM category showed a significant difference between the robotic-assisted gait training group and the control group.
03The number of Ekso sessions was not predictive of discharge FIM scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Retrospective records review; patients were not randomised, and controls were selected from records before the device was used. Sample was smaller than the 70 patients per group targeted by the power analysis. Length of stay differed between groups (mean 32.1 days robotic vs 26.9 days control), which can confound recovery. Robotic training was added to standard physical, occupational and speech therapy plus conventional physical therapy, so the contribution of any single component cannot be separated. No follow-up data were available. FIM is broad and does not quantify specific gait characteristics or balance abilities. FIM scoring was done by several therapists and nurses, not one consistent rater, and walking-item reliability has been reported as poor. Data were collected from 2014 to 2016, so newer devices and protocols may differ.
Declared interests
The authors declared no financial support was received for the research or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the similar functional independence changes as proof that Ekso robotic gait training alone caused recovery. It was added to standard physical, occupational and speech therapy plus conventional physical therapy, and the study cannot separate those components.