Relationship of Age And Mobility Levels During Physical Rehabilitation With Clinical Outcomes in Critical Illness.
Kirby P Mayer, Susan Silva, Amanda Beaty and 6 others
PMID 38163032WHAT IT FOUND
Older ICU patients gained mobility more slowly across the first three rehab sessions, with a rate of 0.3 versus 0.6 points per session.
Higher initial mobility and faster early improvement were linked to shorter ICU stays and greater likelihood of discharge home.
Key findings
01Older patients showed a slower rate of mobility improvement across the first three rehabilitation sessions compared to younger patients, averaging 0.3 versus 0.6 points on the ICU Mobility Scale.
02Higher mobility at the first rehabilitation session and a greater rate of early mobility improvement were associated with shorter ICU length of stay and a higher likelihood of discharge to home or home services.
03Older age was associated with a lower likelihood of discharge to home in unadjusted analysis, though this difference became non-significant after adjusting for covariates.
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
The study is retrospective, which prevents establishing causal relationships between rehabilitation mobility and clinical outcomes. The sample size of 132 patients provided low statistical power for multivariable analyses with seven covariates, leading to the removal of potentially relevant confounders from the final models. Data on frailty, nutritional status, and post-hospital rehabilitation were not available, which could influence long-term outcomes. The study was conducted at a single academic medical center, which may limit generalizability to other healthcare settings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that older age directly causes poorer mobility outcomes or discharge location. The study found associations, not causation, and the multivariable models showed that age itself was not significantly associated with discharge to home or length of stay once other factors like initial mobility and rate of improvement were considered.