Critical illness myopathy in a cervical spine-injured patient

Critical illness myopathy (CIM) is a condition causing muscle weakness in ICU patients, often due to factors like sepsis or prolonged ventilation. It's characterized by muscle fiber atrophy and loss of a protein called myosin. This case report describes a patient with a cervical spine injury who developed CIM while in the ICU. This is notable because there are no prior reports of CIM following spinal cord injury. The patient experienced muscle weakness in his limbs, neck, and face after his spine injury. Diagnostic tests, including a muscle biopsy, confirmed the presence of CIM.

• 1
  A 23-year-old male with a cervical spine injury developed critical illness myopathy (CIM) while in the ICU, a previously unreported occurrence.
• 2
  The patient's CIM diagnosis was confirmed via muscle biopsy, which revealed myosin filament loss, a key characteristic of the condition.
• 3
  Electrophysiological studies, including nerve conduction studies and electromyography, played a crucial role in differentiating CIM from other potential causes of weakness, such as critical illness polyneuropathy (CIP).