Therapeutic Exercise Protocol During Hospitalization in Pediatric Oncohematological Patients: Randomized Clinical Trial.

TL;DR

A randomized trial of a structured in-hospital therapeutic exercise program versus minimal physiotherapy in 30 pediatric oncohematological patients found no significant differences in fatigue, quality of life, muscle strength, or functional capacity between groups, though the intervention was safely delivered without serious adverse events.

Key findings

• Structured exercise protocol (aerobic, resistance, breathing, ambulation) was safe and feasible in hospitalized pediatric cancer patients with no intervention-related serious adverse events
• No significant between-group differences were found for primary outcomes: fatigue, quality of life, handgrip strength, or 6-minute walk test distance
• Time-related improvements occurred in some measures but were comparable between groups, suggesting no specific benefit from the structured protocol over minimal physiotherapy
• Study limitations included small sample size (n=30), clinical heterogeneity, variable intervention exposure, and limited fidelity data, warranting cautious interpretation

Why this matters at the bedside

While demonstrating the safety of supervised exercise in hospitalized pediatric oncohematological patients, results do not support superiority of a structured exercise protocol over minimal physiotherapy for the measured functional and quality-of-life outcomes during acute hospitalization.