Feasibility and Safety of Active Physiotherapy in the Intensive Care Unit for Intubated Patients with Malignancy.
N Gautheret, C Bommier, A Mabrouki and 7 others
PMID 36017667WHAT IT FOUND
Intubated cancer patients in the ICU received physiotherapy as often as non-cancer patients.
Adverse events were rare and similar in both groups. This supports starting mobilization in ICU patients with malignancy, despite their longer stays and lower initial strength.
Key findings
01The proportion of prescribed physiotherapy sessions actually performed did not differ significantly between cancer patients and non-cancer control patients.
02Severe adverse events related to physiotherapy were rare and occurred at similar rates in both groups.
03Physiotherapy sessions were successfully completed at the prescribed level in a majority of cases for cancer patients, despite their longer ICU stays.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Single-centre study with only one part-time physiotherapist, which limits generalizability to units with different staffing or patient demographics. The level of physiotherapy was prescribed subjectively based on clinical examination, so the 'prescribed' dose may not have been consistent or objective. Patients who died or had very short stays were excluded, potentially selecting for a more stable cohort. The study was not powered to detect differences in long-term functional outcomes or mortality. Patient experience and satisfaction with physiotherapy were not assessed.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Bourse Le Souffle 2017. The authors declared no other conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the similar adverse event rates as proof that physiotherapy improves survival or long-term function in cancer patients. This was a feasibility and safety study; it did not measure whether the intervention changed clinical outcomes like mortality or functional independence at discharge.