Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore suggest every day spent in an intensive care unit bed can increase muscle weakness up to two years after patients are discharged.
Researchers observed 222 patients from 13 Baltimore area ICUs between October 2004 and October 2007, including follow-up assessments at the three, six, 12 and 24-month marks. Patients in the study were in the ICU for an average of two weeks, according to a university news release.
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They found every day of bed rest in the ICU can lower muscle strength between 3 and 11 percent over the following months and years.
Age and duration of bed rest were the two factors most associated with muscle weakness, researchers said.
"Age is not a modifiable risk factor, but bed rest is," said Dale Needham, MD, PhD, and senior author of the study, in the release. "We need to focus on changing bed rest to improve patients' recovery."
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