Abstract
In the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) from our region, early mobilization (EM) in patients requiring ventilatory support is an underreported activity. For this reason, we emphasize the need for epidemiological research that allows us to know the characteristics of this relevant activity in the evolution of critically ill patients. Objective: describe the population, time of onset and frequency which MT is performed in patients who received ventilatory support in a PICU of a public pediatric hospital of Latin America. Materials and methods: descriptive, retrospective, observational study, conducted in a 17-bed medical-surgical PICU of a pediatric hospital in Argentina, between July 1 and December 31, 2019. All patients under 18 years of age requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) and/or noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) for at least 24hs were included. Results: 196 patients were admitted to the study, of which 124 (63.3%) received IMV and 72 (37.7%) NIV only. During their stay in PICU 143 (73%) subjects received MT and of these, 89 (62%) started MT within the first 3 days of hospitalization. In the MT group 93 (65%) required IMV and 50 (35%) NIV. All patients who were tracheostomized in PICU received MT. Conclusion: Early mobilization in pediatric critically ill patients was feasible and early in more than 70% of the population studied. Neither age, nor weight, nor ventilatory support were barriers or limiting factors for its implementation.