Shaohua Cui,* Shengwei Zhang,* Huijuan Ren, Yu Zhang, Lixia Geng

Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, Baotou, 014000, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Lixia Geng, Department of Critical Care Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College, Inner Mongolia University of Science and Technology, No. 41, Linyin Road, Kundulun District, Baotou, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 014000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-18686107952, Email genhlixiaglc@126.com

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation delivered through a multidisciplinary team (MDT) model on therapeutic outcomes in individuals diagnosed with intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW).
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study conducted at The First Affiliated Hospital of Baotou Medical College (Inner Mongolia, China) between January 1, 2023, and December 30, 2024, 98 patients with ICU-AW were assigned to either a control group (standard rehabilitation, n = 49) or an observation group (MDT-based rehabilitation, n = 49). Outcomes were compared using independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests (SPSS version 21.0).
Results: The observation group showed significantly shorter median hospital stay (14 vs 21 days, p < 0.01), ICU stay (8 vs 12 days, p < 0.01), and mechanical ventilation duration (4 vs 7 days, p < 0.01) compared to controls. MRC scores improved earlier in the observation group (Day 4: 38 ± 6 vs 32 ± 5, p < 0.001; Day 7: 45 ± 7 vs 39 ± 6, p < 0.001). The overall effective rate was 83.7% in the observation group versus 61.2% in the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: MDT-based cardiopulmonary rehabilitation accelerates recovery, reduces healthcare resource utilization, and enhances patient satisfaction in ICU-AW. These findings support its integration into critical care pathways. Future studies should explore long-term functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

Keywords: cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW), medical research council (MRC) score, multidisciplinary team (MDT) model, therapeutic efficacy