eCASH and Early Goal-Directed Mobilization to Prevent ICU-Acquired Weakness

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a common complication in critically ill patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation. It may prolong mechanical ventilation, delay recovery, increase the risk of complications, and impair long-term functional outcomes. Both optimized analgesia-sedation management and early mobilization are considered important strategies for reducing ICU-AW, but evidence regarding their combined application remains limited.

This study is a single-center, prospective, randomized, parallel-group, single-blind controlled trial. Eligible adult ICU patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group or the control group. The control group will receive routine ICU nursing care, including routine analgesia and sedation management, vital sign monitoring, airway care, skin care, psychological support, muscle strength assessment, and early activity after clinical stabilization.

The intervention group will receive routine ICU nursing care plus an eCASH concept-based analgesia and sedation strategy combined with early goal-directed mobilization. The eCASH-based strategy emphasizes early combined intervention, patient comfort, analgesia-first management, minimization of sedative exposure, and humanistic care. A multidisciplinary team will assess each patient and develop individualized analgesia, sedation, comfort, and rehabilitation plans. Early goal-directed mobilization will be adjusted according to the patient's clinical condition, functional status, and tolerance, and may include passive or active limb exercises, balance training, bedside cycling exercise, and transcutaneous electrical stimulation.

The intervention will begin after enrollment in the ICU and continue until transfer out of the ICU. Outcome assessors and statistical analysts will be blinded to group allocation. The study aims to determine whether the combined eCASH and early goal-directed mobilization strategy can reduce the incidence of ICU-AW and improve respiratory and clinical recovery in mechanically ventilated ICU patients.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients admitted to the ICU who require invasive mechanical ventilation and have a mechanical ventilation duration of at least 48 hours.
• Age 18 years or older.
• Patients who are not undergoing secondary intubation.
• Patients with relatively stable organ function.
• Written informed consent provided by the patient's family member or legally authorized representative.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients in the acute stress phase with hemodynamic instability, including severe patient-ventilator asynchrony, severe traumatic brain injury with intracranial hypertension, status epilepticus, or after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
• Patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.
• Patients with neurological diseases, organic neurological lesions, or neurological injury.
• Patients with a history of psychiatric disease.
• Patients with complications causing altered mental status and inability to cooperate, such as hepatic encephalopathy or pulmonary encephalopathy.
• Patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.
• Patients with a history of psychoactive drug abuse, illicit drug use, or alcohol abuse.