The journal of medical investigation : JMI
-
Review
Muscle atrophy in critically ill patients : a review of its cause, evaluation, and prevention.
Critically ill patients exhibit prominent muscle atrophy, which occurs rapidly after ICU admission and leads to poor clinical outcomes. The extent of atrophy differs among muscles as follows: upper limb: 0.7%-2.4% per day, lower limb: 1.2%-3.0% per day, and diaphragm 1.1%-10.9% per day. This atrophy is caused by numerous risk factors such as inflammation, immobilization, nutrition, hyperglycemia, medication, and mechanical ventilation. ⋯ J. Med. Invest. 67 : 1-10, February, 2020.