Safety, Feasibility, and Efficacy of Early Rehabilitation in Patients Requiring Continuous Renal Replacement: A Quality Improvement Study

INTRODUCTION: Early rehabilitation in critically ill patients is associated with improved outcomes. Recent research demonstrates that patients requiring continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) can safely engage in mobility. The purpose of this study was to assess safety and feasibility of early rehabilitation with focus on mobility in patients requiring CRRT. METHODS: Study design was a mixed methods analysis of a quality improvement protocol. The setting was an intensive care unit (ICU) at a tertiary medical center. Safety was prospectively recorded by incidence of major adverse events including dislodgement of CRRT catheter, accidental extubation, bleeding, and hemodynamic emergency; and minor adverse events such as transient oxygen desaturation >10% of resting. Limited efficacy testing was performed to determine if rehabilitation parameters were associated with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients (54.0 ± 15.6 years old, 44% women, body mass index 29.2 ± 9.3 kg/m(2)) received early rehabilitation under this protocol. The median days of CRRT were 6.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 2–11) and 72% of patients were on mechanical ventilation concomitantly with CRRT at the time of rehabilitation. A total of 112 rehabilitation sessions were performed of 152 attempts (74% completion rate). No major adverse events occurred. Patients achieving higher levels of mobility were more likely to be alive at discharge (P = 0.076). CONCLUSIONS: The provision of early rehabilitation in critically ill patients requiring CRRT is safe and feasible. Further, these preliminary results suggest that early rehabilitation with focus on mobility may improve patient outcomes in this susceptible population.