Efetividade de um protocolo de exercícios no que se refere à mobilidade e à força muscular em pacientes críticos

Abstract

Introduction: Deterioration of physical capacity in critically ill and critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units is a reality. To prevent and mitigate the negative impacts of hospitalization of these patients, early mobilization has been incorporated into care and rehabilitation protocols. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise protocol regarding mobility and muscle strength in individuals admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Federal University of Uberlândia. Methodology: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted using the IMS scale to assess mobility and the MRC scale to measure muscle strength of patients before and after the intervention. The proposed exercises were graded based on the score obtained on the IMS scale: patients with a score between 0 and 3 participated in phase I; those with an IMS between 4 and 6 performed the exercises in phase II; and patients with a score between 7 and 10 progressed to phase III. Results: Fourteen patients were evaluated from September to October 2024, seven males and seven females, with a mean age of 47.1 ± 13.3 years, mean hospital stay of 5.8 ± 10.2 days, and invasive mechanical ventilation time of 2.0 ± 4.3 days. The intervention with therapeutic exercises did not significantly alter muscle strength (p>0.05), but improved mobility, with a significant increase in the IMS scale from 4 to 8 (p<0.05). Conclusion: The therapeutic exercise protocol resulted in a significant improvement in patient mobility and maintenance of muscle strength. These results highlight the effectiveness of early mobilization in functional recovery, suggesting the need for future studies to explore its long-term effects.