This cohort study compares 30-day mortality and inpatient intensive care unit (ICU) admissions before and after the implementation of a novel emergency department–based ICU.
The postoperative period following abdominal surgery presents many challenges to patients and clinicians as recovery progresses and discharge from the intensive care unit approaches. Physiologic changes including the release of inflammatory mediators, increased fatigue and reduction in body mass, and a decline in pulmonary function occurring after abdominal surgery are often potentiated by bed rest and immobility. Evidence-based interventions have the potential to prevent pulmonary complications, wound instability, drain displacement, and orthostatic hypotension. Promoting early mobility is one example of an evidence-based strategy to improve patient outcomes. By understanding the specific needs of the abdominal surgery population, the clinician can safely and effectively implement a mobility plan. The purpose of this article was to briefly review the inflammatory effects associated with bed rest, critical illness, and surgery; review the literature related to mobility in the abdominal surgery patient; describe the effects of immobility on postoperative outcomes; discuss the safety concerns and barriers to mobilization; discuss strategies to overcome barriers; and provide suggestions for application in practice.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.