Review Article
Year: 2019 | Month: April | Volume: 9 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 311-321
A Practical Physiotherapy Approach in Intensive Care Unit
Manivel Arumugam1, Murali Thangaraj2, Baskaran Chandrasekaran3, Ramanathan Palaniappan Ramanathan4, Pauline Kiruba Priyadharshini5, Pitchaimani Govindharaj6
1Senior Physiotherapist, 4Professor and Head,
Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, PSG Hospitals, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Associate Professor, Department of Critical Care Medicine, PSG Hospitals, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
3Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise Physiology and Sports, School of Allied Health Sciences, Manipal University, Manipal. Karnataka, India.
5Senior Physiotherapist Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, PSG Hospitals, PSG Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
6Lecturer, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Corresponding Author: Manivel Arumugam
ABSTRACT
Intensive care unit (ICU) is the most required area to treat patients who admitted for an unconscious, cardiopulmonary arrest, drowning, poisoning, cerebrovascular accidents, acute post-operative surgery patients etc. for improving their health with various treatment procedures. Physiotherapy is one of the treatment procedures in inside the ICU to regain the patient’s mobility and stability with the use of procedures such as chest physiotherapy, range of motion exercises and early mobilization activities to be used to improve functional capacity, strengthening the muscles with continuous rehabilitation would improve quality of life among patients admitted to respiratory and medical ICUs. In order to practice in the ICU, this study aimed to review the planning and implementation methods of physiotherapy in the area of critical care to suggest the physiotherapy protocol. Initiation of this protocol based assessment and implementation of physiotherapy inside the ICU is safe and beneficial while practiced with good team members. Our views may differ with other national practices, but it is easier to practice with simplest ideas and planning which we currently practicing in our domain. It is useful for the newcomer in ICU team for making effective treatment.
Key words: Physiotherapy, Early Mobilization, Airway clearance, Breathing exercise.