Trial reportThorax2021
Functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycle ergometry-based progressive mobility programme for mechanically ventilated patients: randomised controlled trial with 6 months follow-up.
Trial report in Thorax, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT02864745 (Functional Electrical Stimulation-assisted Cycle Ergometry in Critically Ill), which is not on this map. Cited by 22 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Functional Electrical Stimulation-assisted Cycle Ergometry in Critically Ill: Linking Deranged Muscle Physiology to Long-term Functional Outcome
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Korean clinical practice guidelines for rehabilitation in critically ill patients and post-intensive care syndrome.Acute and critical care · 2026Guideline
- In-bed cycling for adult intensive care patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for early rehabilitation in critically ill patients: a systematic review of applied protocols.Critical care (London, England) · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on health-related quality of life in ICU patients: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Reporting of nutritional screening, status, and intake in trials of nutritional and physical rehabilitation following critical illness: a systematic review.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Guideline on positioning and early mobilisation in the critically ill by an expert panel.Intensive care medicine · 2024Guideline
- The effect of electrical stimulation in critical patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Guideline on multimodal rehabilitation for patients with post-intensive care syndrome.Critical care (London, England) · 2023Guideline
- Pooled it
- Therapeutic Potential of Electromyostimulation (EMS) in Critically Ill Patients-A Systematic Review.Frontiers in physiology · 2022Pooled it
- Recumbent FES-Cycling Exercise Improves Muscle Performance and Ambulation Capacity in Hospitalized Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Artificial organs · 2025Trial
- ASSOBRAFIR clinical practice guidelines in intensive care physical therapy: Rehabilitation strategies in critically ill adults.Brazilian journal of physical therapy · 2026Review
- Korean Clinical Practice Guidelines for Rehabilitation in Critically Ill Patients and Post-Intensive Care Syndrome.Annals of rehabilitation medicine · 2026Article
- Early Measurement of Quadriceps Response to Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation to Identify Future ICU-Acquired Weakness.Critical care medicine · 2026Observational
- Saudi Guideline for Mechanical Ventilation in Adults.Saudi journal of medicine & medical sciences · 2026Article
- Functional and muscle recovery after critical illness: current and future nutritional, physical and metabolic strategies.Annals of intensive care · 2026Review
- Sepsis Induces Long-Term Muscle and Mitochondrial Dysfunction due to Autophagy Disruption Amenable by Urolithin A.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Article
- Muscle weakness after critical illness: unravelling biological mechanisms and clinical hurdles.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Review
- Increasing role of post-intensive care syndrome in quality of life of intensive care unit survivors.World journal of critical care medicine · 2024Article
- Does inflammation and altered metabolism impede efficacy of functional electrical stimulation in critically ill patients? Unleashing the potential of individualized functional electrical stimulation-cycling in critical illness.Critical care (London, England) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeFunctional electrical stimulation-assisted cycle ergometry (FESCE) enables in-bed leg exercise independently of patients' volition. We hypothesised that early use of FESCE-based progressive mobility programme improves physical function in survivors of critical care after 6 months.
methodsWe enrolled mechanically ventilated adults estimated to need >7 days of intensive care unit (ICU) stay into an assessor-blinded single centre randomised controlled trial to receive either FESCE-based protocolised or standard rehabilitation that continued up to day 28 or ICU discharge.
resultsWe randomised in 1:1 ratio 150 patients (age 61±15 years, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II 21±7) at a median of 21 (IQR 19-43) hours after admission to ICU. Mean rehabilitation duration of rehabilitation delivered to intervention versus control group was 82 (IQR 66-97) versus 53 (IQR 50-57) min per treatment day, p<0.001. At 6 months 42 (56%) and 46 (61%) patients in interventional and control groups, respectively, were alive and available to follow-up (81.5% of prespecified sample size). Their Physical Component Summary of SF-36 (primary outcome) was not different at 6 months (50 (IQR 21-69) vs 49 (IQR 26-77); p=0.26). At ICU discharge, there were no differences in the ICU length of stay, functional performance, rectus femoris cross-sectional diameter or muscle power despite the daily nitrogen balance was being 0.6 (95% CI 0.2 to 1.0; p=0.004) gN/m
conclusionEarly delivery of FESCE-based protocolised rehabilitation to ICU patients does not improve physical functioning at 6 months in survivors. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02864745.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.