ICU patients may benefit from short bursts of bed cycling

NCT ID NCT05279547

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: KU Leuven Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests two ways of cycling while lying in a hospital bed for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). One method is steady cycling for 10-20 minutes, and the other is short bursts of harder cycling mixed with easier pedaling. The goal is to see which approach better activates leg muscles and is safe for patients who are weak from being in the ICU.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: bed-cycling exercise
What this could lead to: If successful, this study could point toward better exercise routines for ICU patients to prevent muscle weakness.
What could go wrong: This is a small pilot study, so results may not apply to all ICU patients. The main goal is to test safety and feasibility, not to prove a treatment works.

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Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 100 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2023

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Full cooperatively adult patients indicated by the Adequacy Score of standardized 5 questions (SQ5) = 5/5 * Patients mechanically ventilated for longer than 48 hours during the same ICU admission * Patients are expected to remain in the ICU for more than an additional 48 hours starting from study enrollment * Patients able to perform active cycling for \> 10 consecutive minutes Exclusion Criteria: * Pre-existing functional limitations * Low limb injuries or conditions that would preclude in-bed cycling such as a body habitus unable to fit the bike * Extreme obesity (body mass index \>35 kg/m2) * Neurologically unstable * Acute surgery * Palliative goals of care * Temperature \> 40 °C * An anticipated fatal outcome * Evidence of coronary ischaemia, for example, chest pain or electrocardiogram changes * Resting heart rate \<40 or \>120 beats per minute * Mean arterial pressure \<60 or \>120 mmHg * Peripheral capillary oxygen saturation \< 90% * Wounds, trauma or surgery of leg precluding cycle ergometry * Wounds, trauma or surgery of pelvis precluding cycle ergometry * Wounds, trauma or surgery of lumbar spine precluding cycle ergometry * Coagulation disorder (international normalised ratio \> 1.8, or platelets \< 50,000 mcL) * Intracranial pressure \>20 mm Hg * Femoral access other than femoral central line * Acute deep vein thrombosis * Pulmonary embolism * \>20 mcg/min of noradrenaline * inotropic or vasopressor support comparable to a dose of noradrenaline \>20mcg/min * Fraction of inspired oxygen \> 55% * Arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) \<65 torr (\<8.66 kPa) * Positive end-expiratory pressure \> 10 cmH2O * Respiratory rate \> 30 breaths per minutes with adequate ventilatory support * Minute ventilation \>150 mL/kg body weight

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Critical Illness critical illness polyneuropathy

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Critical illness Intensive care unit-acquired weakness

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

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ICU patients may benefit from short bursts of bed cycling

What the study statuses mean