A newly acquired neuromuscular cause of weakness has been found in 25-85% of critically ill patients. Three distinct entities have been identified: (1) critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP); (2) acute myopathy of intensive care (itself with three subtypes); and (3) a syndrome with features of both 1 and 2 (called critical illness myopathy and/or neuropathy or CRIMYNE). CIP is primarily a distal...

A syndrome of generalized weakness, areflexia, and difficulty with weaning from a ventilator is a common clinical presentation in the critically ill patient, especially in the setting of sepsis, multiorgan failure, and hyperglycemia. At first believed to be a manifestation of nerve (critical illness neuropathy, CIN) or muscle (critical illness myopathy, CIM) dysfunction, our current conceptuali...

Motor weakness in a patient in the intensive care unit (ICU) may be related to (1) pre-existing neuromuscular disorder that leads to ICU admission, (2) new-onset or previously undiagnosed neurological disorder, or (3) complications of non-neuromuscular critical illness. Neuromuscular syndromes related to ICU treatment consist of critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and pr...

ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW), including critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy, is a frequent disabling disorder in ICU subjects. Research has predominantly been performed by intensivists, whose efforts have permitted the diagnosis of ICUAW early during an ICU stay and understanding of several of the pathophysiological and c...

myopathy Approach to critical illness polyneuropathy and service Email alerting the top right corner of the article Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article-sign up in the box at

INTRODUCTION Neuromuscular disorders, predominantly critical illness myopathy (CIM) and critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) occur in approximately one-third of patients in intensive care units. The aim of this study was to review the important role of electrophysiology in this setting. RESULTS In CIM, sarcolemmal inexcitability causes low amplitude compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) ...