The effects of short bouts of ergometric exercise for severely burned children in intensive care: A randomized controlled trial.
Tony Chao, Ingrid Parry, Alen Palackic and 8 others
PMID 35473409WHAT IT FOUND
Short bouts of ergometric exercise in the burn ICU were safe and feasible but did not improve lean body mass, total weight, or walking distance compared to standard care alone.
Both groups improved similarly. The study was small and underpowered, so a benefit cannot be ruled out.
Key findings
01The exercise intervention did not produce statistically significant improvements in days spent in the ICU, lean body mass, total weight, or functional ambulation compared to standard care.
02No adverse events such as hypotension or arrhythmia were directly linked to the aerobic exercise intervention, supporting its safety in the ICU.
03The study was underpowered to detect small differences, and the lack of resistance training in the protocol may explain the failure to preserve lean body mass.
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 was small (54 participants) and underpowered to detect anything but large differences between groups. The exercise protocol was aerobic only, lacking the resistance training often used to preserve muscle mass in burn survivors. The number of exercise sessions varied widely because it depended on the length of the ICU stay and the patient's clinical status, meaning patients with longer stays exercised more. Blinding of patients and therapists was impossible, which could introduce performance or detection bias, although outcome assessors were blinded. The study could not account for the specific location of burns, which may have influenced functional outcomes like walking.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that early exercise in the ICU is ineffective. The study was small and underpowered, and the null results for muscle mass may be due to the lack of resistance training in the protocol. The safety and feasibility of the intervention were confirmed.