Corona Update: SURGE CAPACITY SOLUTIONS – The mobi is a mobile headwall (equipment consolidator) that can be set up in any space that has an electrical outlet: next to a chair, a bed, a cot in a hallway, a cafeteria, or anywhere patients need to be located. Click here for more information.

Tag: secondary infections

Early Mobilization

Posted on by Steve Villanueva

MINIMIZING HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED Complications

Early Mobilization. Recovering from a major illness or injury can be a slow and difficult process. But when patients are bed-bound, simply being in the hospital can add further complications. In the United States alone, 600,000 patients acquire healthcare-associated infections every year, resulting in nearly 100,000 preventable fatalities (Vaughn 2020). Further complications can include constipation, blood clots, bed sores, delirium, and ICU-acquired weakness, all of which increase the risk of readmission and death. However, early mobilization reduces these risks by activating the body’s own defense mechanisms: improving circulation, decreasing fluid retention, and stimulating the lymphatic, digestive, and nervous systems. Early mobilization keeps patients safe, improves recovery times, and lowers healthcare costs for both the patient and the hospital.

Key Facts:

  • A systematic review of medical studies found that early mobilization reduces both costs and the risk of secondary complications. On average, patients who achieved early mobilization experienced two fewer days of delirium, fewer central line and catheter infections, lowered risk of ventilator-assisted pneumonia, and reduced risk of readmission and death. (Hunter 2014)
  • For patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass surgery grafting (CABG), mobilization within six hours after surgery significantly reduces the risk of secondary pneumonia. (Strobel 2020)
  • An extensive study of patients with traumatic spine injuries revealed that patients who were immobilized for more than 72 hours after surgery were 14% more likely to acquire serious secondary complications (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, deep vein thrombosis, and/or pulmonary embolism). (MacCallum 2020)
  • A survey of more than 23,000 lumbar surgery patients showed that mobilization on the day of surgery resulted in a shorter length of stay and significantly decreased risk of bowel obstruction, urinary tract infection, and readmission. (Zakaria 2019)
  • For cancer patients who have had part of the lung surgically removed, standard early mobilization (within 24 hours) and physiotherapy is recommended to improve lung volume, clear excess fluid from the lungs, and reduce postoperative pulmonary complications. (Agostini 2020)
  • Standardized early mobility protocols can improve outcomes for patients with deep vein thrombosis, decrease length of stay for patients with community-acquired pneumonia, and help elderly patients recovering from major surgery to achieve or maintain independent functionality. (Pashikanti 2012)

Click here for full article

Learn more about Livengood Medical Mobi Solutions.

Reduce Secondary Infections with Patient Ambulation

Posted on by Sean Bryant

Helping Hospitals Reduce Costs With Patient Ambulation

Reduce secondary infections with patient ambulation. Patient immobility is known to contribute to the buildup of fluid in the lungs and reduces the circulation of blood and lymph, which can worsen the effects of severe respiratory illness and increase the risk of dangerous and costly secondary complications, including delirium and pressure ulcers. These hospital-acquired complications (secondary infections) make recovery harder for patients, but they also dramatically increase cost-of-treatment for hospitals. Fortunately, these costs and complications are avoidable though safe early patient mobility (patient ambulation). Yes, its is possible to reduce secondary infections with patient ambulation.

Patient ambulation (patient mobility) may not have been feasible in the first wave of COVID-19, but now that designated wards and facilities have been re-established, returning to best-practice patient mobilization can only have positive outcomes for patients and staff, while significantly improving overall hospital cost-savings. Even incremental reductions in hospital-acquired secondary conditions are medically and financially beneficial for patients, staff, and hospitals. The benefits from patient ambulation are numerous, especially when it comes to positive patient outcomes, but the financial benefit across hospital operations is significant.

See the full article here.

Beneficial Reading

Case for early mobilization

Progressive Mobility Protocols

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ICU Delirium

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

ICU Delirium

Preventing ICU Delirium with Safe Early Mobility Protocols

ICU Delirium. 80% of the sickest patients in the ICU will suffer from delirium. They have multiple risk factors that include immobility, medications for pain and sedation, and interrupted circadian rhythms, just to name a few. Delirium in the ICU will complicate the patients stay and can lead to many adverse outcomes. Patients who suffer from delirium will often be combative, pull out catheters, be unable to participate in therapy, and they may even self-extubate. These adverse outcomes can be hard on patients, families and ICU staff. Education about delirium should be provided to family members when applicable. Delirium in the ICU will also increase the total cost of a patient’s stay.

ICU staff should have a system in place for assessing delirium such as the CAM-ICU. Their CAM-ICU score should be reported regularly in the EHR and during rounds. If staff is consistently reporting on delirium they can aim their interventions towards minimizing any adverse outcomes. Interventions will range from reducing certain medications, increasing mobility during the day, reducing stimulation at night, and to introducing cognitive therapy with an Occupation Therapist. Increasing patient  mobility continues to be a safe and viable way of reducing all manner of secondary infections.

Early Mobility Protocols

Delirium in the ICU is prevalent and also often preventable with the implementation of safe early mobility protocols. By tracking and addressing the following six risk factors our patients will have less complications: sleep deprivation, immobility, visual impairment, hearing impairment, cognitive impairment and dehydration. Livengood’s mobility solutions are designed for ease of patient mobility, so they can safely ambulate and limit the effects of secondary infections.

Click to read Article on Reducing Secondary Infections

Beneficial Reading

Implementation of a Mobility Program

 

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Get Up and Pee

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

Get Up and Pee

Mobility – A Patient’s Basic Need

Get up and pee. We’ve all woken up early in the morning really needing to pee, but are so tired that we try to just lie there a little longer. We all know that the second we finally commit to getting out of bed we can rush to the bathroom. I bet you’ve never thought of that as a luxury. For millions of people who are in the hospital every day, it’s just that.

Imagine being in a hospital bed: you’re tethered to oxygen, an IV pole, and maybe even a chest tube. It wouldn’t be an easy feat to get up, let alone go to the bathroom. Often, the solutions available to you are to have a catheter, use a bedpan, or, god forbid, pee in your bed. They’re all so embarrassing. When I was in the hospital after an appendectomy and the nurse slid a bedpan under me and told me to “go ahead and pee,” I could’ve died. I was 17 and I really wanted to get up to use the regular bathroom. The nurse said that would be too much trouble with my IV and oxygen running. While using the bedpan, I couldn’t help but think that it was going to spill over onto the bed.

I joke about getting up to pee, but there are so many serious complications of bed rest. Immobility while one is hospitalized can lead to serious complications: urinary tract infections, bed sores, pneumonia, and blood clots, just to name a few. The benefits of mobility are numerous, including improved digestion, increased strength, increased independence, improved pulmonary function, and improved blood flow.

There is a better way! You have to insist on getting up and out of bed when you are in the hospital! It’s good for you to move your legs, and you certainly don’t want to pee in your bed now, do you?

 

Beneficial Reading

Implementation of an Early Mobility Program

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Basic Needs – Mobility

Posted on by Philip Crumpton

Basic Needs – Mobility

A Basic Need for Recovery

Basic Needs – Mobility. On a recent trip to trial the LIVENGOOD mobi at Tulane Medical Center I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah. Sarah was a patient in the neurological ICU who had been on a ventilator for 3 weeks. During the placement of cervical traction she experienced heart failure. After being resuscitated she had to be intubated. The staff had good intentions of getting Sarah out of bed but equipment management was difficult. Consequently, she stayed in bed most days and occasionally, at best, made it to a chair. The staff agreed at an attempt to walk with Sarah on a portable ventilator, while mounting all of her equipment on the mobi. She sat at the edge of the bed and slowly regained her ability to sit unsupported with her feet on the floor. We all held our breath as she transitioned from sitting to standing and cheered as she stood there smiling. Sarah was able to walk 16 feet to the door of her room and then after sitting in her chair we wheeled her to the picture window where she sat basking in the warm Louisiana sun, the sun she had not seen in 21 days, as her hospital room did not have an exterior window. This session of mobility worked her muscles, her lungs, her cardiovascular system and it gave her an emotional boost. From this day forward mobility became part of her care plan and helped her progress towards a transfer out of the ICU. To thrive as humans we need to feed our basic needs. We need nourishment, sunlight, mobility and community. The sense of accomplishment Sarah felt that day was truly palpable in that room and I think we all slept better that night. *Patient’s name has been changed to protect her identity.

Beneficial Reading

Implementation of an Early Mobility Program

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What Customers Say

Testimonials

“6 months ago we implemented 12 mobis into our early mobility program. We have a very diverse population on our ICU and having the option of mobilizing them in a way that is helpful and assistive to staff while instilling confidence in the patient and family is great. We’re still working to figure out our ideal workflow but it’s given us concrete examples of how even our sicker vented patients can get mobilized safely and efficiently.”

Mark Rohlfing
RN, BSN Clinical Operations Manager Intensive Care Unit
Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital - Muncie, IN

“After completing a research study with the LIVENGOOD mobi on our post trauma/surgical floor, I realized its potential to decrease length of stay, help with staff efficiency and empower patients to be independent.”

Lorrie Henecke
MS, APRN, ACNS-BC, CNRN Clinical Nurse Specialist
Medical Center of the Rockies, Loveland, CO

“We are so excited that the mobi helped us ambulate our very first vented patient.”

Esther Vandermeulen
R.N.
University Health System - San Antonio, TX

“The LIVENGOOD mobi is very user friendly, safe and a great solution to use minimal staff and be able to contain all of the patient’s equipment.”

Michael Saccone
P.T.
Saint Joseph's Hospital - Syracuse, NY

“I think the LIVENGOOD mobi will revolutionize the way we mobilize patients in the ICU. I saw patients mobilize sooner and with less anxiety with the mobi. One young patient was even able to walk outside with the mobi and her portable vent. Having the mobi made mobility a real team effort, not just a P.T. activity.”

Terra Terwilliger
PT, DPT - Adult Inpatient Physical Therapist
Rehab Services University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview Health System

“The LIVENGOOD platform allows my patients to be active and independent without attention being diverted to multiple lines, an oxygen tank, and other medically necessary devices. It allows patients to have hope and a sense of “normalcy”, which so often is lost after trauma or surgery.”

Jessica Gilbert
DPT
Staff Physical Therapist - Medical Center of The Rockies -Loveland, CO

“Six years ago I was introduced to the LIVENGOOD mobi. This piece of equipment has been life changing for my patients. I am now able to consolidate all of the patient’s medical devices onto an easy to push mobile platform, therefore freeing up both of my hands to safely assist my patient.”

Tanya Kensley
P.T.
Poudre Valley Hospital -Fort Collins, CO

“Mobility is Life, the mobi platform will help patients move again.”

Blas Villa
CCRN
University Health System - San Antonio, TX

“I was at NTI in Boston (2013) and, during the exhibit portion, I wandered across the LIVENGOOD booth. At that moment, I knew our hospital needed this mobi for our open heart recovery program. I worked with a Clinical Nurse Specialist to write a grant for this product. I am so excited to bring the mobi to our program.”

Celina Adams
RN, MSN, CCRN (CVICU)
John C. Lincoln - Phoenix, AZ

“We walked a vented patient with the mobi and it was awesome! This helped her physically and emotionally.”

Natalie Hariel
R.N.
Tulane Medical Center - New Orleans, LA

“I am a nurse in a cardiovascular ICU… Our goal for patients is to ambulate to the chair 2 hours after extubation, often the evening of surgery day. Our patients are up and walking with central venous catheters, swan ganz catheters, chest tubes, foley catheters, and with IV medications infusing. The ambulation of these patients would not be possible without the mobi walker. Every bit of equipment that these patients need can be carried on the walker while providing the stability of a standard walker… It is an essential piece of equipment for us and we couldn’t provide the care and therapies we do without it.”

Katherine Whitfield
RN CCRN
Athens Regional Medical Center - Athens, GA

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