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. 2018 Jan 4;22(1):1.
doi: 10.1186/s13054-017-1923-7.

ICU-acquired weakness: should medical sovereignty belong to any specialist?

Domenico Intiso  1
Affiliations

ICU-acquired weakness: should medical sovereignty belong to any specialist?

Domenico Intiso. Crit Care. .

Abstract

ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW), including critical illness polyneuropathy, critical illness myopathy, and critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy, is a frequent disabling disorder in ICU subjects. Research has predominantly been performed by intensivists, whose efforts have permitted the diagnosis of ICUAW early during an ICU stay and understanding of several of the pathophysiological and clinical aspects of this disorder. Despite important progress, the therapeutic strategies are unsatisfactory and issues such as functional outcomes and long-term recovery remain unclear. Studies involving multiple specialists should be planned to better differentiate the ICUAW types and provide proper functional outcome measures and follow-up. A more strict collaboration among specialists interested in ICUAW, in particular physiatrists, is desirable to plan proper care pathways after ICU discharge and to better meet the health needs of subjects with ICUAW.

Keywords: Critical illness polyneuropathy; ICU-acquired weakness; Intensivist; Multi-specialist; Recovery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

DI consents for publication according to editorial license and copyright agreement.

Written informed consent obtained from the patient/participant for publication of their individual details and accompanying images in this manuscript was not applicable.

The article is original, has not been formally published in any other peer-reviewed journal, is not under consideration by any other journal, and does not infringe any existing copyright or any other third-party rights.

DI is the sole author of the article and has full authority to enter into this agreement and in granting rights to BioMed Central, and is not in breach of any other obligation.

The article contains nothing that is unlawful, libelous, or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract or of confidence or of commitment given to secrecy.

DI has taken due care to ensure the integrity of the article. To the author’s and currently accepted scientific knowledge, all statements contained in the article purporting to be facts are true and any formula or instruction contained in the article will not, if followed accurately, cause any injury, illness, or damage to the user.

Competing interests

The author declares that they have no competing interests.

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