critical illness neuromyopathy

critical illness neuromyopathy

Acute polyneuropathy of the critically ill, critical illness polyneuromyopathy, critical illness polyneuropathy Critical care medicine A combination of neural damage and muscle degeneration in Pts requiring prolonged critical care; a predominantly motor axonal polyneuropathy of acute onset occurring in a background of multisystem organ failure and systemic inflammation, often due to gram-negative sepsis Clinical Flaccid tetraparesis, respiratory paralysis, hyporeflexia, muscle atrophy, distal sensory defects Diagnosis EMG studies reveal axonopathic features–eg, fibrillations and sharp positive waves on concentric needle studies, ↓ amplitude of muscle or nerve action potentials after stimulation; in 1⁄2, conduction velocity is ↓ and distal latency times ↑; CIP is associated with ↑ mortality and rehabilitation problems. See Critical care unit.