From bedside to recovery: exercise therapy for prevention of post-intensive care syndrome

Keibun Liu, Oystein Tronstad, Dylan Flaws, Luke Churchill, Alice Y. M. Jones, Kensuke Nakamura & John F. Fraser. DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s40560-024-00724-4

Background: As advancements in critical care medicine continue to improve Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survival rates, clinical and research attention is urgently shifting toward improving the quality of survival. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) is a complex constellation of physical, cognitive, and mental dysfunctions that severely impact patients’ lives after hospital discharge. This review provides a comprehensive and multi-dimensional summary of the current evidence and practice of exercise therapy (ET) during and after an ICU admission to prevent and manage the various domains of PICS. The review aims to elucidate the evidence of the mechanisms and effects of ET in ICU rehabilitation and highlight that suboptimal clinical and functional outcomes of ICU patients is a growing public health concern that needs to be urgently addressed.