Advantages of Using Ceiling Mounted Lifts in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Physical therapists are involved in high-risk patient-handling tasks on a daily basis, which include patient transfers, repositioning, and gait training. The primary purpose of this risk management case report was to describe a therapeutic approach to the treatment of a patient after sustaining a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) while using ceiling mounted lifts (CMLs) to lessen the fatigue of the therapist. Case Description: The patient was a 40-year-old man admitted to an acute care hospital for medical management of an extensive CVA. Progressive mobilization was performed using both standard methods of patient-handling and ceiling mounted lifts. During all treatment sessions, with and without the use of the CML, the patient's and the physical therapist's rates of perceived exertion (RPEs) were measured. Outcome: The patient was treated by a physical therapist or physical therapy assistant for a total of 52 visits over the course of his 97-day hospital stays. The patient continued to ambulate with a slightly hemiparetic gait pattern but advanced each leg independently in a reciprocal fashion. The RPE for the patient ranged from 5 to 9 during sessions and averaged 6 overall. For the physical therapist, the RPE averaged 2 when the CML was used, and averaged 5 when it was not. Discussion: This case report has highlighted the potential benefit of incorporating overhead lifts into physical therapy treatment for patients recovering from a CVA. The RPEs measured during transfer and gait training demonstrated a reduced fatigue level for the therapist when using the CML. Future research studies will benefit from clinical trials that incorporate outcome measures and the treatment of patients recovering from a CVA with mechanical lifts versus conventional care.