Early mobility is not just a catch phrase. It’s activity that can change the trajectory of a patient’s condition, hospital stay and potentially life.

Join me as we welcome Dr. Jenna Hightower, PT, DPT, CCS, critical care physical therapist, and CVP Emerging Leader award recipient.

In this episode we learn about Jenna’s physical therapy journey and her evolution from an exercise physiologist in outpatient cardiac rehab to PT residency to her love and passion for the ICU setting.

Jenna learned early in her career that she could make tremendous impact in the ICU despite the level of complexity and ICU acquired weakness. Listen as we discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing, physiologic benefits of in-bed verticalization and early mobility progression. With a little persistence, hard work and communication change can be made.

If you work in acute care, critical care, or are passionate about advancing ICU mobility, this episode is a must-listen!

In this Episode:

• PT residency
• Critical Care Culture
• Bedrest & deconditioning
• Proning & verticalization
• ABCDEF Bundle
• The Ramsey Protocol
• Physiologic benefits of verticalization
• Transition to a non-clinical role

Resources:

VitalGo Website

VitalGo Instagram

Tilt Talk Podcast: Apple. Spotify Youtube

Kayli Dayton website

Bio:

Dr. Hightower earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Western Carolina University in 2017. Following this, she completed a Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Critical Care Residency through Mercer University at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital in 2018.

Dr. Hightower has served as a Critical Care Physical Therapist in multi-specialty intensive care units at both Piedmont Atlanta Hospital and Mayo Clinic Florida. Her expertise lies in early mobility interventions within the ICU, particularly for patients on advanced mechanical circulatory support devices such as ECMO, IABP, Impella, and LVAD, as well as those on various forms of mechanical ventilation. She specializes in managing complex cases involving multiple end-organ failure or shock requiring invasive support, with a particular passion for pre- and post-heart and lung transplant care. Dr. Hightower has frequently integrated the use of the Total Lift Bed into her patients' care plans to enhance outcomes, despite the complexity and acuity of their conditions.

Find me on:

IG: @all_things_cardiopulm

Threads: @all_things_cardiopulm

Website: www.allthingscardiopulm.com

Youtube: @allthingscardiopulm

Linked-In: Rachele Burriesci

Text at 913-308-4494

In this episode, Dr. Rachele Burriesci, PT, DPT, CCS, GCS sits down with Dr. Aaron Thrush, PT, DPT, MPH, CCS one of the lead authors behind the groundbreaking article “Development and Application of a Novel Framework for Mobility and Rehabilitation Under Support of Extracorporeal Life Support: The M-U-S-E-C-L-S Framework.” Together, they break down the first ever systems level roadmap designed to guide ICU teams in safely developing, implementing, and sustaining mobility programs for patients supported by ECMO and other mechanical circulatory devices.

In this episode we discuss:

• Team members required for a successful ECMO mobility team
• Including the patient in patient-centered care
• Complementing existing clinical practice guidelines
• Collaboration and communication required to sustain and succeed
• Developing progressive and inclusive culture
• Equipment needs, staffing considerations, competencies, and policies.

Access article here

Reach out to Aaron Thrush: ThrushA@ccad.ae

Aaron Thrush is a board-certified cardiovascular and pulmonary clinical specialist (USA) with expertise in acute and critical care rehabilitation. He is the Education Specialist and Manager of Inpatient Rehabilitation and Therapy at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he previously led ICU physical therapy. Aaron has published research on lung transplantation, cardiac rehabilitation, stroke recovery, and functional outcome measures, and serves as Director of Research & Evidence-Based Practice and Clinical Content Expert for the Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Physical Therapy (USA). An international speaker, he has presented across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

Find me on:

IG: @all_things_cardiopulm

Threads: @all_things_cardiopulm

Website: www.allthingscardiopulm.com

Youtube: @allthingscardiopulm

Linked-In: Rachele Burriesci

Text at 913-308-4494

Lucky for us, I was able to get more time with Aaron to discuss his life abroad. We had some time after discussing his newest publication to dig further into the regular day life in Abu Dhabi and into to another world of culture and cultural competency.

Join us for an episode of common ground, laughs, food, and culture!

Stay tuned next week for our publication breakdown of the MUSECLS framework!

Find me on:

IG: @all_things_cardiopulm

Threads: @all_things_cardiopulm

Website: www.allthingscardiopulm.com

Youtube: @allthingscardiopulm

Linked-In: Rachele Burriesci

Text at 913-308-4494