Over the last several years there has become mounting evidence that early rehabilitation therapy in the ICU environment improves physical function and reduces length of stay and lowers the need for additional healthcare intervention.There are more and more studies indicating successful outcomes in a variety of critical illnesses. A human body in a static state is not a good thing. This lack of movement effects blood flow, pulmonary function, muscle mass, joint health, bowl and bladder and so on. It has recently been recognize a patient with severe sepsis can lose 15-20% of their muscle mass in just 5-6 days of an ICU stay.
Current intervention includes bed side manual therapy, rotation of the patient from side to side and when possible getting the patient up and walking. All these interventions require a team of medical professionals to safely complete these tasks. In an atmosphere already challenged with staffing responsibilities assembly of the team is easier said than done. Once the team is assembled the therapy intervention is generally short in nature.
There is another solution. One that is gaining popularity in ICUs across the United States and around the world. The RECK MOTOmed Letto is designed to be portable, provides movement therapy to the upper and lower extremities and can be operated by a single medical professional. This modality takes approximately 3 to 5 minutes to set up and can provide passive, motor assistive and resistive therapy for what period the medical professional sees fit. It has been utilized in studies worldwide and now has become an integral part of ICU protocols in hospitals throughout the world.
The video below demonstrates the RECK MOTOmed Letto in action. You can also view this and other Letto videos here.
Please take a moment to review the case studies, white papers, and articles on this early intervention movement therapy. The outcomes, benefits, ROI and staff satisfaction are quite interesting.
Mike Laky