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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 9, 2021) Mrs. Smith lies back on a bed in the intensive care unit (ICU), eyes closed, her body connected to lines and tubes from a variety of machines: supplemental oxygen, a left brachial artery line, catheter, chest tube, a Jackson Pratt drain and a right brachial PICC line. This once-active middle-aged woman has fought a hard battle with pneumonia and longs to return to her favorite activities: running, hiking, walking her dog.
A group of physical therapists comes into the room with an indeterminate goal: to see how much physical activity Mrs. Smith can work through today.