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A Feasibility Study of Early Mobilisation Programmes in Critical Care

EMPRESS: A Feasibility Study of Early Mobilisation Programmes in Critical Care

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03771014
Acronym
EMPRESS
Enrollment
46
Registered
2018-12-10
Start date
2019-05-28
Completion date
2022-09-23
Last updated
2022-10-27

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Critical Illness

Keywords

intensive care, physiotherapy, rehabilitation

Brief summary

The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of delivering a very early mobility rehabilitation program in Intensive Care Units (ICU), within the context of a randomised controlled trial (RCT). This will inform the design of a future RCT investigating very early ICU rehabilitation in the UK National Health Service.

Detailed description

Early ICU-based physical rehabilitation may benefit patients with acute severe respiratory failure by attenuating the development of severe and persistent weakness and impaired physical function seen in these patients. Muscle wasting occurs early (within 12 hours) and progresses rapidly after ICU admission. Patients may suffer from consequent physical impairment for months or years following their discharge. ICU based rehabilitation has the potential to improve physical function outcomes, through mitigating muscle wasting. The investigators have successfully introduced a very early ICU mobility program in their institution, which results in increased ventilator free days and reduced length of ICU stay. The primary aim is to investigate whether this method will work in other ICUs. EMPRESS will test the feasibility of running this intervention as an RCT. The results and a concurrent process evaluation will inform the design of a future, multi-centre randomised controlled trial.

Interventions

OTHEREarly mobility

This progressive mobility pathway commenced with passive cycling within 48 hours of intubation and ventilation and progressing through assisted cycling, active cycling, bed exercises, sitting, mobilising out of bed to walking

Sponsors

National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom
CollaboratorOTHER_GOV
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

Outcome assessment at ICU discharge, hospital discharge and 3 month follow-up will be undertaken by an assessor, blinded to study group allocation.

Intervention model description

Feasibility study of two-arm pilot RCT, randomised 1:1 with blinded outcome assessments

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
42 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Acute/unplanned medical admissions to the ICU. * \> 42 years old. * Functionally independent prior to ICU admission (Barthel \>80). * In hospital for \<5 days prior to intubation and ventilation. * Intubated and ventilated for \<72 hrs. * Expected to remain ventilated for a further 48 hours.

Exclusion criteria

* In hospital for 5 days or more prior to ITU admission. * Patients with acute brain or spinal cord injury. * Known or suspected neurological / muscular impairment. * Condition limiting use of cycle ergometer e.g. lower limb fracture / amputation. * Not expected to survive \>48hrs. * Persistent therapy exemptions in first 3 days of mechanical ventilation. * Body habitus such as unable to use cycle ergometer. * Consultant clinician view that patient not suitable or not expected to survive admission.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Physical Function ICU Test-scoredUp to 28 daysThis is a reliable and valid 4 item scale ( arm strength, leg strength, ability to stand and step cadence),with a score range of 0-10 and is responsive to change and predictive of key outcomes.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Hand held dynamometry (HHD)Up to 12 weeksAssessment of hand grip strength
Chelsea Critical Care Physical Assessment tool (CPAX)Up to 28 daysThis validated tool reliably grades physical morbidity from complete dependence on admission though progressive independence. Scores on ICU discharge may predict recovery trajectory.
ICU Mobility ScaleUp to 28 daysBest level of function achieved in ICU using an 11-point ordinal scale
Timed up and goUp to 6 monthsThe Timed Up and Go test is a simple test used to assess a person's mobility and requires both static and dynamic balance. It uses the time that a person takes to rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn around, walk back to the chair, and sit down.
Clinical Frailty ScoreUp to 6 monthsAn 8 point score to classify patients as fit, vulnerable or frail and correlates with outcome in both elderly and younger patients. Pre illness frailty will be assessed by proxy on admission from information gathered from family member /NOK and from patient at the 3 follow-up assessment
Medical Research Council Manual Muscle Test Sum Score ( MRC-ss)Up to 28 daysTest of muscle strength and function, where full strength is defined as a score of 60/60 and ICU-AW as a score of \<48/60
Six minute walk testUp to 6 monthsWidely used to assess functional exercise capacity in patients following an ICU admission
The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS6 monthsMeasure of anxiety and depression in general medical population of patients. Each item on the questionnaire is scored from 0-3 and this means that a person can score between 0 and 21 for either anxiety or depression.
WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0)6 monthsA generic assessment instrument for health and disability
EQ-5D-5L6 monthsThe descriptive system comprises self-assessment of five dimensions of health: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The patient is asked to indicate his/her health state by ticking the box next to the most appropriate statement in each of the five dimensions. This decision results in a 1-digit number that expresses the level selected for that dimension. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state.
Barthel Index for Activities of Daily LivingUp to 6 monthsBarthel ADL index is an ordinal scale used to measure performance in activities of daily living (ADL). Each performance item is rated on this scale with a given number of points assigned to each level or ranking. It uses ten variables describing ADL and mobility. A higher number is associated with a greater likelihood of being able to live at home with a degree of independence following discharge from hospital.

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 12, 2026