Evaluation of kinetic therapy in the prevention of complications of prolonged bed rest secondary to stroke.

We performed a prospective, controlled study of kinetic therapy in acute, severe stroke. This therapy involved continuous mobilization of a bedridden patient by means of a specially designed rotating bed. All patients with acute stroke presenting to the Neurology Service over an 18-month period were screened, and those that qualified were assigned to confinement in either a routine hospital bed or a rotating bed. We found that the most common complication of stroke with bed confinement of 4 days or longer was bacterial infection consisting of either pneumonia, sepsis, or urinary tract infection. The two variables found to be of greatest significance in affecting the rate of infection were length of bed confinement, especially for greater than 13 days (2.3-fold increased risk, p less than 0.04), and placement in a routine hospital bed (2.9-fold increased risk, p = 0.023).