Having a Patient on a Ventilator, I've Had Those Happy Multiple Times

When a patient is on the ventilator, all they can tolerate is sitting on the edge of the bed and moving their legs around. A nurse who used to work in an i cu unit would get up and walk around the unit every night. She discovered 17 laps around the i c u was a mile. When she got better and got transferred to the floor, her big complaint was that she didn't get to walka. The pay off later happens outside the ic and the pay off is huge.