Revista de neurologia
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Revista de neurologia · Jun 2006
Review[Acquired neuromuscular syndrome in critically ill patients].
To analyse the causes and signs of the muscle weakness that critically ill patients develop during their stay in the ICU and to review the literature. ⋯ On many occasions 'polyneuropathy of critically ill patients' and 'acute myopathy in intensive care' can be differentiated and to do so neurophysiological and, if necessary, muscle biopsy studies are a valuable aid. Although some authors prefer to group these conditions under the name 'polyneuromyopathy', we propose the general term 'acquired neuromuscular syndrome in critically ill patients' -a more descriptive expression that does not presuppose a particular mechanism or a single aetiology.