Physical Mobilisation to Acquired Brain Injury Patients in Intensive Care Units: a Prospective Cohort Study (FOOBScan2)

April 21, 2026 updated by: Christian Riberholt, Rigshospitalet, Denmark

Describing the Physical Mobilisation Provided to Patients With Acquired Brain Injury in Intensive Care Units: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

The objective of this study is to quantify the amount of physical mobilisation provided to patients with moderate to severe acquired brain injury in Scandinavian neuro-ICs, and the association between intensity and duration of mobilisation, physiological data perceived to be related to the safety of high-level mobilisation, and amount of high-level mobilisation during the neuro-ICU stay.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Detailed Description

In patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) admitted to neurointensive care units (neuro-ICU), sedation and, consequently, immobilisation are applied to minimize intracranial complications such as increased intracranial pressure and metabolic crisis. However, complications associated to this immobilisation are of major concern. Physical inactivity has been demonstrated to have a negative impact on health in several studies and is accepted as a health threat in the general population.

For patients in neuro-ICUs with severe traumatic brain injury or acute stroke, both inactivity and high levels of inflammatory markers are associated with an increased risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. As an attempt to minimise inactivity-related complications, earlier onset of out-of-bed mobilisation in ICUs has gained increased interest, but the evidence for effect is small and inconclusive and does not address intensity.

The primary objective of this study is to quantify the amount of physical mobilisation provided to patients with moderate to severe acquired brain injury in Scandinavian neuro-ICUs, and the association between intensity and duration of mobilisation, physiological data perceived to be related to the safety of high-level mobilisation (as defined under Monitoring physical activity below), and amount of high-level mobilisation during the neuro-ICU stay. As secondary objectives, we aim to explore the association between the frequency of high-level mobilisation sessions during the neuro-ICU stay and the outcomes indicated as relevant by clinicians in Scandinavian neuro-ICUs.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

198

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

      • Copenhagen, Denmark
      • Odense, Denmark
        • Active, not recruiting
        • Odense Universitets Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Adult patients admitted to a neuro-ICU or to a regular ICU due to moderate to severe traumatic brain injury or stroke.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults (age ≥ 18 years)
  • Admitted to a neuro-ICU or to a regular ICU with dedicated beds for severe acquired brain injury patients in Scandinavia
  • Patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) or stroke
  • Patients must be intubated and expected to require mechanically ventilation for at least 24 hours.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients that are not likely to survive or for whom a decision has been made on palliative care.
  • Patients allergic to the Sens monitor patch or showing any type of allergic reactions from the patch after inclusion in the study that needs treatments or results in immediately removal of the patch.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Amount of physical mobilisation
Time Frame: From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
Amount of physical mobilisation provided during stay at neuro-ICU
From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
Amount of high-level mobilisation
Time Frame: From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
Amount of high-level mobilisation during stay at neuro-ICU
From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
Association between intensity and duration of mobilisation
Time Frame: From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
The association between the intensity and duration of mobilisation during stay at neuro-ICU
From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Association between frequency of high-level mobilisation and outcomes indicated relevant
Time Frame: From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.
Outcomes indicated relevant by clinicians in Scandinavian neuro-ICUs
From admission at the intensive care unit (ICU) until discharge from the ICU, with a maximum of 3 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Christian Gunge Riberholt, PhD, Rigshospitalet, Denmark

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 25, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 3, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 21, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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