J Trauma Acute Care Surg 2022 Jun 18;92(6):1020-1030. Epub 2022 Jan 18.
From the School of Medicine (I.B.), University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia; Physical Therapy Department (I.B., K.S.), Launceston General Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania; Department of Physical Therapy (I.B., C.H., L.D.), The University of Melbourne, Melbourne; Faculty of Nursing, Medicine and Health Science (K.S.), School of Primary Health Care, Monash University, Frankston, Victoria; Department of Physical Therapy (C.H., R.H.), Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Queensland; Physical therapy Department (B.W.), Northeast Health Wangaratta, Wangaratta, Victoria; Anaesthesia Perioperative and Pain Medicine Unit (D.S.), The University of Melbourne; Melbourne Clinical and Translational Science Research Platform (D.S.); and Peter McCallum Cancer Centre (L.D.), Allied Health Research, Melbourne, Australia.
Background: Postoperative pneumonia and delayed physical recovery are significant problems after emergency laparotomy. No randomized controlled trial has assessed the feasibility, safety, or effectiveness of intensive postoperative physical therapy in this high-risk acute population.
Methods: The internal pilot phase of the Incidence of Complications after Emergency Abdominal Surgery: Get Exercising (ICEAGE) trial was a prospective, randomized controlled trial that evaluated the feasibility, safety, and clinical trial processes of providing intensive physical therapy immediately following emergency laparotomy. Read More