Utility of Mobility in Post Open-Heart Surgery Patients: A Pilot Trial

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: As the role of the clinical exercise physiologist expands, early mobility is an area of potential focus. A rural Midwestern intensive care unit began a mobility program alongside its open-heart surgery program. The mobility specialist, who was trained as a clinical exercise physiologist, was tasked to ambulate the open-heart surgery patients. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a mobility specialist on ambulation frequency and distance on post open-heart surgery patients. Methods: Data were collected retrospectively for 1 month on ambulation frequency and distance to determine the mobility specialist's impact on the variables. Results: Data was collected on 18 patients (15 male, 3 female) over the month. Overall, when the mobility specialist was present, patients ambulated further (M = 421 feet versus 189 feet, P = 0.039) and more often (M = 3.32 versus 1.43 ambulations per day, P < 0.001). Conclusion: In this study, having a mobility specialist with a background in exercise physiology led to more frequent and distant ambulation. Therefore, a mobility specialist should be considered an integral member of a multidisciplinary clinical team in rural intensive care units.