• Geetha Kayambu, Robert Boots, and Jennifer Paratz.
• School of Medicine, Burns, Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre, The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, The University of Queensland, Level 7, Block 6, Herston, Brisbane, QLD, 4029, Australia, g.kayambu@uq.edu.au.
• Intensive Care Med. 2015 May 1; 41 (5): 865-74.

RationaleSurvivors of sepsis syndromes have poor outcomes for physical and cognitive function. No investigations of early physical rehabilitation in the intensive care unit have specifically targeted patients with sepsis syndromes.ObjectiveTo determine whether early physical rehabilitation improves physical function and associated outcomes in patients with sepsis syndromes.MethodsFifty critically ill adults admitted to a general intensive care unit with sepsis syndromes were recruited into a prospective double-blinded randomised controlled trial investigating early physical rehabilitation.MeasurementsPrimary outcomes of physical function (acute care index of function) and self-reported health-related quality of life were recorded at ICU discharge and 6 months post-hospital discharge, respectively. Secondary measures included inflammatory biomarkers; Interleukin-6, Interleukin-10 and tumour necrosis factor-α, blood lactate, fat-free muscle mass, exercise capacity, muscle strength and anxiety.Main ResultsA significant increase in patient self-reported physical function (81.8 ± 22.2 vs. 60.0 ± 29.4), p = 0.04) and physical role (61.4 ± 43.8 vs. 17.1 ± 34.4, p = 0.005) for the SF-36 at 6 months was found in the exercise group. Physical function scores were not significantly different between groups. Muscle strength scores were (51.9 ± 10.5 vs. 47.3 ± 13.6, p = 0.24) with the standard care mean Medical Research Council Muscle Score (MRC) <48/60. The mean change of Interleukin-10 increased and was significantly higher in the exercise group (1.8 pg/ml, 180 % vs. 0.9 pg/ml, 90 %, p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between groups for lactate, Interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-α, muscle strength, exercise capacity, fat-free mass or hospital anxiety.ConclusionImplementation of early physical rehabilitation can improve self-reported physical function and induce systemic anti-inflammatory effects.

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