Exercise Testing in ICU Survivors to Understand Muscle Weakness and Heart and Blood Vessel Function After Critical Illness

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how sepsis and critical illness affect the heart, blood vessels, and muscle function in patients who have been in the intensive care unit ICU. The study focuses on ICU survivors who experienced long-term mechanical ventilation and aims to understand how these effects lead to lasting muscle weakness and exercise difficulties, known as ICU-Acquired Weakness ICU-AW. This observational study follows participants after their ICU discharge, with assessments planned at 6 months and optionally at 12 months. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests CPET will be used to measure peak oxygen uptake and oxygen kinetics. Skeletal muscle microvascular function will be evaluated using high-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy NIRS during exercise tests to explore the relationship between muscle oxygen delivery and cardiovascular blood flow. Participants will attend follow-up visits to complete exercise tests, questionnaires, and physical assessments. Researchers will measure enrollment rates, protocol completion, oxygen uptake, muscle oxygen levels during exercise, and other lung and muscle function tests. The study will also assess participants independence, frailty, and muscle strength. These evaluations help understand the long-term impact of critical illness on survivors over a year following their ICU stay.

ICU Combined Assessment of Cardio-Respiratory Exercise