NCT02375282

Brief Summary

Ambulation following surgery has been found to be beneficial for patients; however, nurses and doctors struggle with getting post-operative, hospitalized patients to walk on their own. One promising strategy to address this might be an ambulation orderly, an employee whose single responsibility is to assure that patients walk 3-4 times per day. However, the effect of the ambulation orderly on post-operative physical activity has not yet been described. It is important to quantify what the ambulation orderly does in order to assess if this is an effective method for helping patients walk. As a result, the investigators will perform a pilot randomized controlled trial to test the effects of an ambulation orderly in patients hospitalized with recent cardiac surgery. Half of the patients will be assigned to walk with the ambulation orderly 3-4 times/day and the control group will be given standard nursing encouragement and assistance and encouragement to walk. The investigators will evaluate the average total daily step counts (over the hospital course, usually 4-7 days) and the change in walking distance between a baseline and a final 6 minute walk test. The investigators will also evaluate exercise physiologic parameters (heart rate, oxygen saturation) during ambulation, patient functional independence, and patient satisfaction.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
36

participants targeted

Target at below P25 for not_applicable coronary-artery-disease

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2015

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable coronary-artery-disease

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 27, 2015

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 1, 2015

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

March 2, 2015

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 1, 2015

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 1, 2016

Completed
Last Updated

November 6, 2017

Status Verified

November 1, 2017

Enrollment Period

4 months

First QC Date

January 27, 2015

Last Update Submit

November 1, 2017

Conditions

Keywords

ambulationcardiac rehabilitation

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Average Daily Step Counts while on M6 (cardiac surgery general floor.)

    The patient will wear an accelerometer, which will keep track of the amount of steps the patient took each day over the course of the hospitalization.

    From arrival on M6 to hospital discharge. This is typically from post operative day 3 until post operative day 9-12.

  • Average change in walking distance between baseline and final 6-minute walk

    Each patient will complete a 6 minute walk after arriving on M6 (from intensive care until) and again at hospital discharge. The difference in distance walked will be compared.

    From arrival on M6 (baseline) to hospital discharge (final). This is typically from post operative day 3 until post operative day 9-12

Secondary Outcomes (7)

  • Average Slope of Progression in Average Total Daily Step Counts

    From arrival on M6 to hospital discharge. This is typically from post operative day 3 until post operative day 9-12.

  • Average Daily Step Count on the 3rd day after arrival on M6

    3rd day on M6 as part of study (typically post operative day 6 or 7)

  • Average Total Daily Energy Expenditure

    From arrival on M6 to hospital discharge. This is typically from post operative day 3 until post operative day 9-12.

  • Average Total Time in Activity

    From arrival on M6 to hospital discharge. This is typically from post operative day 3 until post operative day 9-12.

  • Pre and post 6 minute walk test vital signs

    Each time the 6 minute walk test is done.

  • +2 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Ambulation Orderly Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients that are in this group are those randomized to receive visits from the ambulation orderly (ambulation group). The patients in this group will receive the visits from the ambulation orderly in addition to the standard of care that occurs with the rest of the hospital and with the control group.

Procedure: Ambulation orderly

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

This is for the patients who are randomized to receive the standard care of Baystate Medical Center. The standard of care will be nurse-directed ambulation, as is currently done in all other nursing floors at Baystate Medical Center. Nurses will be instructed to walk with the patients as they did before the initiation of the ambulation orderly and as they do when the orderly is on vacation, at conferences, training, or away for illness. These patients will not receive visits from the ambulation orderly.

Interventions

The responsibility of the ambulation orderly is to walk patients after having a cardiac surgery, such as a coronary artery bypass surgery or a valve surgery. Baystate Medical Center hired an ambulation orderly May 8, 2013. The ambulation orderly is generally a high school graduate with some training in safe lifting and exercise, but extensive training is not required. In general, the goal is to have 1 ambulation orderly present 7 days a week for 8 hr per day. When available, ambulation orderlies are responsible for walking the patients who have been cleared by the clinical exercise physiologist or nurse up to 4 times per day. The walking of the patients occurs through the halls of the 6th floor of the Mass Mutual wing of Baystate Medical Center.

Ambulation Orderly Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Patients who have had a cardiac surgery procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting surgery or valve surgery). Must be ambulatory prior to surgery

You may not qualify if:

  • Unable to consent, cognitively impaired, and patients unable to walk prior to surgery

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Baystate Medical Center

Springfield, Massachusetts, 01199, United States

Location

Related Publications (4)

  • Brown CJ, Williams BR, Woodby LL, Davis LL, Allman RM. Barriers to mobility during hospitalization from the perspectives of older patients and their nurses and physicians. J Hosp Med. 2007 Sep;2(5):305-13. doi: 10.1002/jhm.209.

    PMID: 17935241BACKGROUND
  • Callen BL, Mahoney JE, Grieves CB, Wells TJ, Enloe M. Frequency of hallway ambulation by hospitalized older adults on medical units of an academic hospital. Geriatr Nurs. 2004 Jul-Aug;25(4):212-7. doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2004.06.016.

    PMID: 15311196BACKGROUND
  • Pashikanti L, Von Ah D. Impact of early mobilization protocol on the medical-surgical inpatient population: an integrated review of literature. Clin Nurse Spec. 2012 Mar-Apr;26(2):87-94. doi: 10.1097/NUR.0b013e31824590e6.

    PMID: 22336934BACKGROUND
  • Pack QR, Woodbury EA, Headley S, Visintainer P, Engelman R, Miller A, Riley H, Lagu T, Lindenauer PK. Ambulation Orderlies and Recovery After Cardiac Surgery: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Exerc Physiol. 2017 Sep;6(3):42-49. doi: 10.31189/2165-6193-6.3.42.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Coronary Artery DiseaseMitral Valve InsufficiencyAortic Valve StenosisAortic Valve InsufficiencyMitral Valve Stenosis

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Coronary DiseaseMyocardial IschemiaHeart DiseasesCardiovascular DiseasesArteriosclerosisArterial Occlusive DiseasesVascular DiseasesHeart Valve DiseasesAortic Valve DiseaseVentricular Outflow Obstruction

Study Officials

  • Peter Lindenauer, MD, MSc

    Baystate Medical Center

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
TRIPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 27, 2015

First Posted

March 2, 2015

Study Start

March 1, 2015

Primary Completion

July 1, 2015

Study Completion

July 1, 2016

Last Updated

November 6, 2017

Record last verified: 2017-11

Locations