Cost-Effectiveness of In-Bed Cycling and Routine Physiotherapy for Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation

Abstract

Importance: The cost-effectiveness of adding early in-bed cycling to usual physiotherapy among adults receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) compared with usual physiotherapy alone is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of in-bed cycling plus usual physiotherapy compared with usual therapy alone in the Critical Care Cycling to Improve Lower Extremity Strength (CYCLE) randomized clinical trial. Design, Setting, and Participants: This trial-based economic evaluation with a 90-day time horizon compared early cycling plus usual physiotherapy vs usual physiotherapy alone from a societal perspective. Adult ICU patients (aged ≥18 years) receiving mechanical ventilation were recruited from 16 ICUs in Canada, the US, and Australia. Enrollment occurred from November 1, 2016, to May 30, 2023, with the last follow-up on August 3, 2023. Interventions: Intervention group participants were offered 30 minutes per day of cycling in addition to usual physiotherapy on weekdays, starting within the first 4 days of mechanical ventilation. Cycling continued until the patient could march on the spot for 2 consecutive days, ICU discharge, or for 28 days, whichever occurred first. Usual care participants were offered individualized physiotherapy according to local practices and patient alertness. Main Outcomes and Measures: Differences in costs (in 2024 Canadian dollars [CA$]) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) between the groups were calculated. In the absence of dominance (ie, 1 strategy is associated with higher costs and fewer QALYs), the results were reported in terms of incremental cost per QALY gained. Results: The CYCLE trial recruited 360 patients (mean [SD] age, 61.5 [15.6] years; 205 male [56.9%]). The estimated per-patient cost associated with providing early in-bed cycling (CA$321) represented 0.5% of the index hospitalization costs (CA$66 554). The per-patient differences in 90-day costs (CA$5841; 95% CI, -CA$7666 to CA$18 797) and QALYs (-0.0009; 95% CI, -0.0185 to 0.0182) between cycling plus usual physiotherapy vs usual physiotherapy alone were not statistically different from 0. The probability of cycling plus usual physiotherapy to be cost-effective was 0.19 at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50 000 per QALY gained. Conclusions and Relevance: In this trial-based economic evaluation, the differences in costs and QALYs between adding early in-bed cycling to usual physiotherapy and usual physiotherapy alone for adults receiving mechanical ventilation were not significantly different from 0. These results highlight the need for additional cost-effectiveness studies considering the full body of evidence regarding in-bed cycling for critically ill patients.