Last update:
22-Mar-2022

In patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU), critical illness myopathy (CIM) and neuropathy (CIP) have become evident in recent decades, as the rapid growth of medical technology has allowed the development of ICUs on a global scale. CIM and CIP usually coexist, and together they constitute ICU, or critical illness, polyneuromyopathy (CIPNM), which is characterized by the prolonged stay of a patient in an ICU, with dependency on mechanical ventilation and increased mortality, while even those who survive need a long time to recover, and have poor quality of life. The main risk factors for the development of neuromuscular failure are sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), hyperglycemia, prolonged immobility, the administration of certain drugs and multiple organ failure. The frequency of its development ranges from 49% to 84%, depending on the severity of the condition of the patient and the development of sepsis and multiple organ failure. This is a review of current epidemiological data and the main risk factors that lead to the development of CIPNM.

Key words: Critical illness polyneuromyopathy (CIPNM), Intensive care unit (ICU), Risk factors, Sepsis.