Trial reportJournal of biophotonics2024
Photobiomodulation therapy (red/NIR LEDs) reduced the length of stay in intensive care unit and improved muscle function: A randomized, triple-blind, and sham-controlled trial.
Trial report in Journal of biophotonics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Acute Sarcopenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Its Incidence and Muscle Parameter Shifts During Hospitalisation.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Pooled it
- LED lighting (350-650nm) undermines human visual performance unless supplemented by wider spectra (400-1500nm+) like daylight.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- From light to healing: photobiomodulation therapy in medical disciplines.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Review
- Shining a Light on Skeletal Muscle Regeneration: Red Photobiomodulation Boosts Myoblast Differentiation In Vitro.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
contextPhotobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has been widely used to improve strength, fatigue resistance and increase muscle mass in healthy individuals. These effects could help critically ill patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) who show reduced mobility and muscle strength. ICU-acquired weakness lessens overall health and increases the patient's length of stay in the ICU.
objectiveThis study evaluated the effects of PBMT using low intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the mobility and muscle strength (functional capacity) and length of stay of patients admitted to hospital ICU.
methodsThis randomized, triple-blind, sham-controlled trial was conducted in a hospital ICU. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to two equal groups: (a) PBMT and (b) Sham. PBMT was applied daily to patients until their discharge from the ICU, using a flexible neoprene array of 264 LEDs (120 at 635 nm, 1.2 mW each; 144 at 880 nm, 15 mW each) for 90s (207.36 Joules) at each site. Ten sites were located bilaterally on the thighs, legs, arms, and forearms ventrally and dorsally, 15 min totaling 2,073.6 Joules per session. Outcomes were length of stay (in h) until discharge from the ICU, muscle strength by the Medical Research Council (MRC) score and handgrip dynamometry (HGD), patient mobility by Intensive Care Unit Mobility Scale (IMS) and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS 3) for predicting mortality of patients admitted to the ICU.
resultsPBMT reduced the average length of stay in the ICU by ~30% (p = 0.028); increased mobility (IMS: 255% vs. 110% p = 0.007), increased muscle strength (MRC: 12% vs. -9% p = 0.001) and HGD (34% vs. -13% p < 0.001), and the SAPS3 score was similar (p > 0.05).
conclusionThe results suggest that daily PBMT can reduce the length of stay of ICU patients and increase muscle strength and mobility.
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