Risk Factors of Patient-Related Safety Events during Active Mobilization for Intubated Patients in Intensive Care Units-A Multi-Center Retrospective Observational Study

The aim of this study is to clarify the incidence and risk factors of patient-related safety events (PSE) in situations limited to intubated patients in which active mobilization, such as sitting on the edge of the bed/standing/walking, was carried out. A multi-center retrospective observational study was conducted at nine hospitals between January 2017 and March 2018. The safety profiles and PSE of 87 patients were analyzed. PSE occurred in 10 out of 87 patients (11.5%) and 13 out of 198 sessions (6.6%). The types of PSE that occurred were hypotension (8, 62%), heart rate instability (3, 23%), and desaturation (2, 15%). Circulation-related events occurred in 85% of overall cases. No accidents, such as line/tube removal or falls, were observed. The highest incidence of PSE was observed during the mobilization level of standing (8 out of 39 sessions, 20.5%). The occurrence of PSE correlated with the highest activity level under logistic regression analysis. Close vigilance is required for intubated patients during active mobilization in the standing position with regard to circulatory dynamics.

The safety of a novel early mobilization protocol conducted by ICU physicians: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

There are numerous barriers to early mobilization (EM) in a resource-limited intensive care unit (ICU) without a specialized team or an EM culture, regarding patient stability while critically ill or in the presence of medical devices. We hypothesized that ICU physicians can overcome these barriers. The aim of this study was to investigate the safety of EM according to the Maebashi EM protocol conducted by ICU physicians.

METHODS

This was a single-center prospective observational study. All consecutive patients with an unplanned emergency admission were included in this study, according to the exclusion criteria. The observation period was from June 2015 to June 2016. Data regarding adverse events, medical devices in place during rehabilitation, protocol adherence, and rehabilitation outcomes were collected. The primary outcome was safety.

RESULTS

A total of 232 consecutively enrolled patients underwent 587 rehabilitation sessions. Thirteen adverse events occurred (2.2%; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.8%) and no specific treatment was needed. There were no instances of dislodgement or obstruction of medical devices, tubes, or lines. The incidence of adverse events associated with mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was 2.4 and 3.6%, respectively. Of 587 sessions, 387 (66%) sessions were performed at the active rehabilitation level, including sitting out of the bed, active transfer to a chair, standing, marching, and ambulating. ICU physicians attended over 95% of these active rehabilitation sessions. Of all patients, 143 (62%) got out of bed within 2 days (median 1.2 days; interquartile range 0.1-2.0).

CONCLUSIONS

EM according to the Maebashi EM protocol conducted by ICU physicians, without a specialized team or EM culture, was performed at a level of safety similar to previous studies performed by specialized teams, even with medical devices in place, including mechanical ventilation or ECMO. Protocolized EM led by ICU physicians can be initiated in the acute phase of critical illness without serious adverse events requiring additional treatment.

Systemic amyloidosis in a patient with adult onset Still's disease

A 39-year-old woman presented clinical features of adult onset Still's disease. Seven years after the onset, she developed renal insufficiency and biopsy studies revealed amyloid deposits involving amyloid A protein, P component, lambda chain and kappa chain in the kidney and rectum. She died in 1992, primarily due to cardiac failure associated with amyloidosis, indicating that amyloidosis should be considered one of the fatal complications in adult onset Still's disease with a long history.