Mobilization Levels of Cardiac Surgery Patients in the Early Postoperative Period

Abstract

Introduction: Early mobilization after cardiac surgery positively affects the improvement of the physical, social, and psychological functions of patients. This study was carried out to evaluate the mobilization levels of cardiac surgery patients in the early postoperative period with the ICU-Mobility Scale (IMS). Methods: This descriptive and observational study was conducted with 104 patients and 15 nurses between February and June 2021 in a cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit in Turkey. Data were collected with an information form and the IMS. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between the time the patients reached the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th levels of the IMS in the intensive care unit and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamping time, operation time, and intubation time (p < 0.05). In addition, nurses reported that they had a little difficulty and high satisfaction during the application of the scale. Conclusion: Mobilization after cardiac surgery is affected by some factors during and after surgery. The IMS is an inexpensive, easy, and effective method that can be used to evaluate and classify the mobilization levels of patients in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery.