Physical therapy
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Paresis acquired in the intensive care unit (ICU) is common in patients who are critically ill and independently predicts mortality and morbidity. Manual muscle testing (MMT) and handgrip dynamometry assessments have been used to evaluate muscle weakness in patients in a medical ICU, but similar data for patients in a surgical ICU (SICU) are limited. ⋯ In contrast to handgrip strength, MMT reliably predicted in-hospital mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, SICU LOS, and hospital LOS.