Roles of Early Mobilization Program in Preventing Muscle Weakness and Decreasing Psychiatric Disorders in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia: A Retrospective Observational Cohort Study

Abstract

Although many coronavirus 2019 patients have experienced persistent symptoms and a long-term decline in quality of life after discharge, the details of these persistent symptoms and the effect of early rehabilitation are still unclear. We conducted a single-center, retrospective observational study to investigate the prevalence of persistent symptoms three months after discharge from the intensive care unit by checking the medical records. All patients received an early mobilization program. Four out of 13 patients (31%) had postintensive care syndrome. No patients had muscle weakness, and 11 patients (85%) returned to their previous work. However, psychiatric disorder, such as anxiety (23%) and posttraumatic stress disorder (15%), were observed. Eleven patients claimed persistent symptoms, including fatigue and numbness in the extremities. Our results suggest that the implementation of an early rehabilitation program plays some role in preventing muscle weakness and that decreasing psychiatric disorders should be a next target of patient care in the intensive care unit.

Keywords

• postintensive care syndrome
• coronavirus disease 2019
• acute respiratory failure