Rehabilitation of medical and acute care patients.

Cancer and serious systemic illness result in several physiologic changes that involve multiple body systems. While the primary conditions are addressed with traditional modalities of medicine, the side effects, secondary changes, and complications can be ameliorated or even prevented with rehabilitation and supportive care. This article reviews problems facing the oncologic and critically ill animal, discusses basic techniques in the management of these animals, and highlights the essential role of rehabilitation in obtaining maximal functional capacity in the critically ill patient.