Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), a term encompassing various disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, includes coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is primarily due to the development of atherosclerotic plaques that disrupt blood flow, oxygenation, and nutrient delivery to the myocardium. Risk factors contributing to CAD progression include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), dyslipidaemia, and obesity. While aerobic exercise (AE) has shown promising results in controlling CVD risk factors, the impact of resistance training (RT) has not been extensively investigated. This review aims to describe the effects of RT on CVD risk factors based on studies retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Both isometric and isotonic RT have been found to decrease systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure, or mean arterial pressure, with SBP showing a more significant reduction. Hypertensive patients engaging in RT alongside a calorie-restricted diet demonstrated significant improvements in blood pressure. RT is associated with increased nitric oxide bioavailability, sympathetic modulation, and enhanced endothelial function. In type-2 DM patients, 8– 12 weeks of RT led to improvements in fasting blood glucose levels, insulin secretion, metabolic syndrome risk, and glucose transporter numbers. Combining AE with RT had a more significant impact in reducing insulin resistance and enhancing blood glucose compared to performing exercises separately. It also significantly decreased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein levels while increasing high-density lipoprotein within 12 weeks of application. However, improvements are considered insignificant when lipid levels are already low to normal at baseline. The administration of RT resulted in weight loss and improved body mass index, with more pronounced effects seen when combining AE with RT and a calorie-restricted diet. Considering these results, the administration of RT, either alone or in combination with AE, proves beneficial in rehabilitating CAD patients by improving various risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to explore the pathophysiology and rehabilitation management of exercise intolerance in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We reviewed articles published in 2019-2021 using PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL databases as an electronic database. Data obtained were pathophysiology and rehabilitation management of exercise intolerance in COVID-19 survivors. Types of the article were original articles and systematic or narrative reviews, both published and preprint articles. Articles that were written in English and freely accessible in pdf or HTML format were included. RESULTS: There were 28 articles eligible for this review. Pathophysiology, rehabilitation management, and both pathophysiology and rehabilitation management were explained in 7, 24, and 4 articles, consecutively. DISCUSSION: Exercise intolerance is caused by some pathological processes in the respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems as a result of systemic inflammation. Fatigue and shortness of breath during the activity were the most common symptom in the early phase of COVID-19 and persisted until the follow-up phase. Hospital admission, especially prolonged use of ventilators and immobilization worsen functional impairment resulting in persistent symptoms. Rehabilitation management begins with a functional assessment consisting of symptom assessment and physical examination of the body systems affected. The goals of rehabilitation management are to increase functional capacity, reduce symptoms, improve the ability to perform daily activities, facilitate social reintegration, and improve quality of life. Exercise is an effective intervention to reach these goals. Several studies recommend breathing, and aerobic exercises, as well as resistance exercises for peripheral and respiratory muscles, to improve symptoms and increase functional capacity.

Objectives: This review aimed at exploring the effect of the Holy Qur’an recitation (HQR) therapy in patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The relevant articles in the last 10 years were reviewed to obtain data about the application of the HQR and its effects on physiological parameters and neuropsychological functions. Twenty-four articles were relevant to the topic, which consisted of 9 review articles, 14 original articles, and 1 web page. Results: HQR therapy is a non-pharmacological therapy given to ICU patients to improve their physiological and psychological parameters that disturbed due to stressors in the ICU. The form of therapeutic intervention for listening to the HQR varies based on the time of administration, the length of therapy, and the chapter (Surah) read. The HQR therapy had a therapeutic effect by relieving the discomfort caused by the treatment and creating a peaceful mind. The average duration of listening to the HQR therapy is about 30 minutes, with the administration time during spontaneous breathing trials or while the patient is still on mechanical ventilation. Discussion: The HQR could change the physiological parameters of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Listening to HQR involves religious and spiritual characteristics associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Spirituality is related to cognitive and emotional functions such as belief, motivation, and feeling close to God, so this therapy was used to improve cognitive and psychological functions. The HQR therapy decreases the degree of pain. After receiving the HQR therapy, the psychological function is enhanced by reducing stress levels, anxiety, depression, or other emotional disorders.

Objectives: This review aimed to explore the pain mechanism and rehabilitation management of functional impairments due to chronic post-ICU pain (CPIP). Methodology: Articles were searched using PubMed and Google Scholar databases with keywords chronic pain, chronic post-ICU pain, persistent pain, ICU-related pain, ICU survivor, and rehabilitation. All types of articles that were written in English and available in full-text format were considered for analysis. Results: The cause of CPIP is not certainly known, but several factors associated with the incidence of CPIP have been identified including genetic, premorbid conditions, medical intervention, and ICU care, as well as psychological or social factors. CPIP management aims to prevent disabilities due to chronic pain and improve functional abilities. The rehabilitation program of CPIP begins with a prevention program from the acute phase to the follow-up phase. The rehabilitation program consists of physical modalities, exercise, occupational therapy, and psychological or social counseling, as well as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The CBT program has been shown to be effective in improving long-term outcomes, preventing the incidence of PICS, and improving the functional status of ICU survivors. Abbreviations: ADL- Activities of Daily Living; ARDS- Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome; CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; CPIP- Chronic Post-ICU Pain; ICU- Intensive Care Unit; PTSD- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; QoL- Quality of Life Conclusion: CPIP caused functional impairments in ICU survivors and rehabilitation management has been proven beneficial in improving functional outcomes. Keywords: Chronic Pain; Counseling; Intensive Care Unit; Survivors Citation: Nazir A. Chronic post-ICU pain: A review of the mechanism and the rehabilitation management. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2024;28(1):159−165; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v28i1.2389 Received: September 06, 2023; Reviewed: October 30, 2023; Accepted: December 09, 2023

Background: Intensive Care Unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is one of the most common neuromuscular disorders affecting intensive care unit (ICU) patients' outcomes and clinical course. ICU-AW is found in 30-50% of patients and increases to 67% in sepsis-critically ill patients. Prolonged ICU stay, the difficulty of weaning from the ventilator, higher hospitalization costs, and an increase in mortality, as well as long-term morbidity, are associated with ICU-AW. ICU-AW causes skeletal muscle weakness, including respiratory muscles, which results in complications that continue even years after being discharged from the hospital. Aim: To describe the rehabilitation management of ICU-AW and provide the information needed clinically to manage these patients. Methods: The authors reviewed all types of articles without time filtering using PubMed and Google Scholar databases with “ICU-AW”, “ICU-related weakness”, “rehabilitation”, and “early mobilization” used as keywords. Results: Rehabilitation management can be done as early as possible, beginning while the patient is still in the ICU. Early mobilization programs require teamwork consisting of doctors, therapists, and nurses. Physical activity and early mobilization in the ICU must be carried out with consideration for safety. Monitoring patient safety before and during mobilization is an essential factor to be considered. Any mobilization program should be the decision of the ICU care team. Implementation of rehabilitation programs and early mobilization improves outcomes for patients with ICU-AW and should be continued until the follow-up period. Conclusion: The rehabilitation management aiming at preventing and treating ICU-AW should be done since the patient was still in the ICU and under careful consideration of safety aspects.

Heart transplantation (HT), the treatment choice of advanced heart failure patients, is proven effective in increasing the survival and functional status of the recipients. However, compared to normal controls, functional status is lower in HT recipients. Exercise given in cardiac rehabilitation has been shown to improve exercise capacity as measured with peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) and muscle strength after completion of the program and cessation of exercise results in loss of exercise benefits. Several factors related to cardiac denervation and the use of immunosuppressive agents in HT recipients result in functional impairments including cardiovascular, pulmonary, exercise capacity, psychological, and quality of life (QoL) problems. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is the most common type of exercise used in HT recipients and given as a hospital-based program. Improvement of functional impairments was found to have occurred due to primarily musculoskeletal adaptations through improvement of muscle structure and aerobic capacity and cardiovascular adaptations. In general, exercise given after transplantation improved VO2 peak significantly and improvement was better in the HIIT group compared to moderate intensity continuous training or no-exercise groups. Improvement of QoL was ascribed to improvement of exercise capacity, symptoms, pulmonary function, physical capacity improvement, anxiety, and depression.