Critical illness neuro-myopathy (CINM) and focal amyotrophy in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with SARS-CoV-2: a case series

We found four patients with some characteristic phenotype in our ICU, characterized by focal hypotrophies of the shoulder girdle and the bilateral peroneal district and underlying critical illness neuro-myopathy. In our opinion, these hypotrophies are secondary to the prone position. Is our intention to start early treatment protocol with electrostimulation to evaluate the effectiveness in the prevention of critical illness and focal hypotrophies in ICU SARS-CoV-2 patients, to increase chances of returning to a preinfection functional status.

Automated summary

The study identified four patients with specific phenotype in the ICU, characterized by focal hypotrophies likely caused by the prone position. The team intends to initiate early treatment protocols with electrical stimulation to evaluate its effectiveness in preventing critical illness and focal hypotrophies in ICU SARS-CoV-2 patients, aiming to improve the likelihood of returning to pre-infection functional status.