Rationale: Recent studies have reported the effectiveness of the early introduction of\nrehabilitation for preventing muscle weakness in patients in the intensive care unit\n(ICU). The early introduction of full-scale rehabilitation by a physical therapist is\ndifficult in some cases because of disease severity and/or patient conditions. However,\nmild mobilization by a nurse (MMN), as a part of standard care performed, may\nhave a positive effect on patient recovery. We examined the effect of the early introduction\nof MMN on the recovery of patients in the ICU. Methods: We retrospectively\nexamined patients admitted to Niigata University Hospital�s ICU during between\nApril 2014 and March 2015 who were receiving mechanical ventilation for 7\ndays or more. Patients were divided into two groups according to the date of initiation\nof MMN: group L comprised patients for whom MMN was started after 72\nhours and group E comprised patients for whom MMN was started within 72 hours\nafter ICU admission. The data were analyzed using the Fisher test, Mann-Whitney U\ntest, and Wilcoxon test. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. Results: Sixty-\nthree patients were included: 42 patients in group L and 21 in group E. There was\nno significant difference between the two groups in patients� background, including\nthe type of illness, steroid use, presence of sepsis or diabetes, and sequential organ\nfailure assessment (SOFA) score on ICU admission; however, the SOFA score at ICU\ndischarge was significantly decreased in group E compared to that in group L (6.21\nversus 4.30; P = 0.034). Conclusion: Our results indicate that MMN may reduce\ndisease severity if started within 72 hours after ICU admission.
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