Cycling through intensive care: Researchers help critically ill older patients get stronger with in-bed bicycling
As a physiotherapist and Canada Research Chair in Critical Care Rehabilitation and Knowledge Translation, Dr. Kho wants to help ICU patients maintain as much strength as possible during their stay. Based on a study from Belgium that started in-bed cycling two weeks after a patient was admitted to ICU, she determined that this technology could be just the tool to help patients maintain muscle mass and mobility, even while on mechanical ventilators in the ICU. Her next step was to find funding.
“With [CFN] support, we were able to get started with a feasibility and safety study in four centres in Ontario—three in Hamilton, one in Toronto—then add more centres when we received additional funding. The Canadian Frailty Network was the first to come on board with the critical cornerstone funding that allowed us to start the research,” remarks Dr. Kho. “With their support, we were able to get started with a feasibility and safety study in four centres in Ontario—three in Hamilton, one in Toronto—then add more centres when we received additional funding.”