To analyze the effect of mechanical assisted sputum drainage combined with early grade 4 rehabilitation exercise on Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) .

The convenient sampling method was used to select 98 patients who were hospitalized in ICU of Xinyang Central Hospital and underwent mechanical ventilation from June 2020 to June 2021. They were randomly divided into observation group and control group, with 49 cases in each group. During the ICU stay, the control group received ICU routine nursing, and the observation group received mechanical-assisted sputum expectoration combined with early stage 4 rehabilitation exercise on the basis of the control group. The incidence of ICU-AW, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of ICU stay, diaphragm thickness and diaphragmatic thickening fraction were compared between the two groups.

The occurrence time of ICU-AW in the observation group was later than that in the control group, the incidence of ICU-AW in the observation group was lower than that in the control group and mechanical ventilation time and length of ICU stay in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . After intervention, skeletal muscle mass, diaphragm thickness and diaphragm thickening fraction in the observation group were all higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . The skeletal muscle mass, diaphragm thickness and diaphragm thickening fraction of the control group after the intervention were lower than those before the intervention, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05) . There was no statistically significant difference in limb skeletal muscle mass, diaphragm thickness and diaphragm thickening fraction in the observation group after intervention compared with those before intervention (P>0.05) .

Mechanical assisted sputum drainage combined with early grade 4 rehabilitation exercise can effectively prevent the occurrence of ICU-AW in ICU patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay, maintain limb skeletal muscle mass and diaphragm function, which benefits patients.

Intensive Care Unit; Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness; Mechanical ventilation; Mechanical assisted sputum drainage; Rehabilitation exercise