Coexistence and Impact of Limb Muscle and Diaphragm Weakness at Time of Liberation from Mechanical Ventilation in Medical Intensive Care Unit Patients

To quantify the prevalence and coexistence of these two forms of ICU-acquired weakness and their impact on outcome.

O defined dysfunction) and ultrasonography (thickening fraction [TFdi] and excursion). Limb muscle weakness was defined as a Medical Research Council (MRC) score less than 48. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-six patients were assessed at their first spontaneous breathing trial: 63% had diaphragm dysfunction, 34% had limb muscle weakness, and 21% had both. There was a significant but weak correlation between MRC score and twitch pressure (ρ = 0.26; P = 0.03) and TFdi (ρ = 0.28; P = 0.01), respectively. Low twitch pressure (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-0.79; P