New clinical trial tests benefits of in-bed cycling in the ICU
While the Paris to Ancaster race is just a few days away, patients at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton cycle in the Intensive Care Unit all year round.
Dr. Michelle Kho’s research aims to help patients recover faster from their stay in the ICU. Regardless of why patients are in the ICU, the traditional inactivity that results from their stay leads to leg weakness and longer recovery times – especially in older patients.
Studies led by her and her team use the RT-300 supine cycle, which allows patients to receive gentle exercise early in their ICU stay, even while they are in their hospital bed and receiving life support.
As part of a new study, patients in 7 sites across Ontario are participating in a new clinical trial called CYCLE, led by St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton researchers. The protocol for this study was recently published in the BMJ Open journal.
Funds from the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation helped the team purchase the bike for this research, which in turn, helped them to conduct an initial study with the ICU bicycle at St. Joe’s, called TryCYCLE. Pilot data from TryCYCLE were critical to preparing the grant for the current clinical trial.
This initial funding has helped the team to secure highly competitive grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Respiratory Research Network, the Ontario Thoracic Society, and the Canadian Frailty Network.
To see a video of the in-bed cycle in action in the ICU, watch this video.
To learn more about Dr. Kho’s research, read this article featured in a recent issue of Physiotherapy Practice, a publication developed by the Canadian Physiotherapy Association.
To learn more about the Paris to Ancaster race, visit the website here.