Korean J Crit Care Med.  2005 Jun;20(1):38-43.

Clinical Findings of Critical Illness Polyneuropathy in Patients with Mechanical Ventilator Treatment

• Lee SS
• Chin JY
• Lim CM
• Koh Y

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP) is a primary distal axonal degeneration of motor and sensory fibers leading to severe limb weakness and difficulty in weaning from ventilator in critically ill patients. The object of this study is to evaluate the clinical findings of CIP and the risk factors associated with CIP development in patients with mechanical ventilator treatment. METHODS: We examined 40 patients, between March 2002 to February 2003, who manifested muscular weakness and received mechanical ventilation (MV) more than three days, prospectively. Nerve conduction velocity (NCV) and electromyography (EMG) were performed in all patients in the ICU. We examined the use of drugs (neuromuscular blocking agents, corticosteroid, and aminoglycoside), duration of MV and weaning, and APACHE II score. RESULTS: We observed 40 patients who showed muscular weakness, 9 patients were diagnosed as CIP. NCV study demonstrated decreased action potential amplitude, predominantly in motor nerve, distal part. There was no significant difference in duration of MV and weaning, drug use, APACHE II score between the groups with CIP and without CIP. CONCLUSIONS: CIP is an important neuromuscular complication of the patients in ICU. We should consider the possibility of the development of CIP in patients who showed muscular weakness and difficult weaning in critically ill patients.

Keyword

Clinical characteristics; Complication; Critical illness polyneuropathy; Mechanical ventilation

MeSH Terms

Action Potentials
APACHE
Axons
Critical Illness*
Electromyography
Extremities
Humans
Muscle Weakness
Neural Conduction
Polyneuropathies*
Prospective Studies
Respiration, Artificial
Risk Factors
Ventilators, Mechanical*
Weaning