How to assess muscle strength in clinical practice in the intensive care unit?

Abstract

Patients staying in the intensive care unit (ICU) frequently develop muscle weakness involving limbs and respiratory muscles. Difficulty in weaning from mechanical ventilation, increased length of stay in ICU and hospital, reduced quality of life, and physical long-term disabilities are expected well-described consequences of weak muscle. The assessment of muscle strength seems necessary to recognize and quantify muscle weakness, adapt the exercise to the patient’s capabilities, and evaluate the effects of the administered treatment. It explains the interest to develop objective, reliable, and sensitive tools to measure muscle strength in the ICU. However, several factors can affect the quality of measurements and complicate sometimes their interpretation. This article describes and reviews the different tests that can be performed in the ICU clinical practice to measure muscle strength.