Clinical outcomes of intensive care unit-acquired weakness in critically ill COVID-19 patients. A prospective cohort study - Critical Care Science (CCS)

To the Editor

Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is one of the most common neurological complications in ICU patients,^(,) and the prevalence of ICUAW after developing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was 70 – 100%.⁽⁾ The risk factors for ICUAW, such as the frequent use of neuromuscular blockers (NMBs) and the regular use of corticosteroids, are numerous and are well described in the COVID-19 population.^(-) These ICUAW risk factors are similar to those in the non-COVID-19 population.⁽⁾ In particular, the ICUAW is associated with an increase in the number of days on mechanical ventilation (MV) and a prolonged stay in the ICU,⁽⁾ but few studies have evaluated clinical outcomes in the COVID-19 population.^(,) Patients with critical COVID-19 may experience long-term functional disability;⁽⁾ therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the presence of ICUAW and clinical outcomes in this population.

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