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Acute Corticosteroid Myopathy in Intensive Care Patients Muscle & Nerve 20:1371-1380997., Hanson,P.,et al, 1997 See this aricle in Pubmed Article Abstract Several recent studies have attributed the occurrence of acute myopathy in intensive care unit patients to the combination of corticosteroids and neuromuscular junction blocking agents(NMBAs)used for mechanical ventilation.We present 4 patients who developed acute myopathy after administration of high doses of glucocorticoids during sedation with propofol without any NMBAs.All patients had elevated creatine kinase levels.Electrophysiological studies indicated normal motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities but reduced motor nerve response amplitudes. Needle electromyography identified abnormal spontaneous activity;motor unit potentials were polyphasic of low amplitude and short duration, characteristic of a myopathic process.Muscle biopsy demonstrated a prominent acute necrotizing myopathy in all 4 patients with a loss of thick filaments.Our observations support glucocorticoids rather than NMBAs as the main offending drug in acute corticosteroid myopathy.The predisposing factor should be the hypersensitivity of paralyzed muscles to corticosteroids regardless of the drug inducing paralysis:NMBAs or propofol.

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(click to filter results - removes previous filter) areflexia creatine phosphokinase(CPK)elevated critical care unit electromyogram muscle biopsy muscle weakness myopathy myopathy,acute myopathy,drug-induced myopathy,necrotizing myopathy,steroid induced nerve conduction studies neurological intensive care neuromuscular disease,electrodiagnosis of prognosis quadriplegia respiratory failure steroid steroid therapy,CNS treatment and complications with weakness,generalized weaning from respirator,failure to

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