OBJECTIVE: To summarize the best evidence for exercise intervention in elderly patients with sarcopenia in intensive care unit (ICU) through literature search, and provide a reference for clinical implementation of early exercise intervention in this population through evidence-based practice.
METHODS: (1) Summary of best evidence: relevant literature on exercise intervention for elderly patients with sarcopenia in ICU, including guideline, evidence summary, expert consensus, systematic review, and original study [quasi-experiment and randomized controlled trial (RCT)] from UpToDate Clinical Advisor, Ovid database, National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Cochrane Library, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PubMed/Medline, SinoMed, CNKI, Wanfang Database, VIP, and Yimai Tong Guideline Network were systematically searched. The search period covered from the establishment of these databases up to August 24, 2023. The quality of the literature was evaluated by two researchers with methodological expertise in evidence-based medicine, and the evidences were extracted and summarized. (2) Evidence-based practice: the elderly patients with high risk of sarcopenia who had been hospitalized in the ICU for more than 7 days from January to April 2024 were enrolled as the research subjects, and they were divided into a control group and an intervention group using convenience sampling method. The control group received routine intensive care nursing. The intervention group implemented exercise intervention based on the actual situation of the patients, the baseline review was conducted before evidence application, and the effectiveness of evidence application at 7 days and 14 days was evaluated.
RESULTS: (1) A total of 19 pieces of literature were included, including 4 guidelines, 1 summary of evidence, 4 expert consensuses, 4 systematic reviews, and 6 original studies (1 quasi-experiment, 5 RCT). After literature quality evaluation, all 19 articles were enrolled. Finally, 31 pieces of best evidence were extracted from eight aspects, including assessment and diagnosis, multidisciplinary cooperation, indication, preparation before intervention, intervention program, safety monitoring, post-intervention evaluation, and special task. (2) Finally, a total of 30 patients were enrolled in the intervention group, of which 17 completed 14 days of rehabilitation exercise, and 13 completed 7 days of rehabilitation exercise. Twenty-seven patients were enrolled in the control group, of which 17 completed 14 days of monitoring, and 10 completed 7 days of monitoring. Clinical evidence application results showed that the patients in the intervention group did not experience adverse events such as increased heart rate, extubation, or physical discomfort. The skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) in both groups was gradually decreased with the prolongation of intervention duration, but the 7-day SMI in the intervention group was significantly higher than that in the control group (kg/m2: 8.61±2.66 vs. 6.65±1.50, P < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: By summarizing the best evidence and evidence-based practice of exercise intervention for elderly patients with sarcopenia in ICU, this study confirmed the feasibility due to safe and effective of implementing early exercise intervention for elderly sarcopenia patients in ICU.