A new report says that getting ICU patients out of bed and moving them as soon as they are able can prove the best medicine for them.

The researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine based their study on a review of ICU patient data and concluded that the daily use of sedation and long bed rest may lead to physical impairment and poor quality of life after discharge from hospital.

Dr. Dale Needham, who is an assistant professor in the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, said: “ One can better understand the benefits of getting ICU patients out of bed and moving them if one knows about the battlefield injured of world War II.”“Our review suggests that it may be time to return to the future. It is crystal clear that the benefits and safety of early mobilization are real and it can be very helpful for the patients to move sooner rather than later.”

The report has been published in the Oct.8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association and it says that muscle weakness is the result of sedation and long bed rest routine.

The said report was based on a review of 24 studies of ICU patients that had prolonged mechanical ventilation, multiple organ failure and sepsis. The researchers noted that almost of the 1421 patients were found with neuromuscular dysfunction related to lengthy ICU stays and extended use of mechanical ventilation.