A sepsis or multiple organ dysfunction occurs frequently in the intensive care unit and causes a significant number of mortality and morbidity. Somtimes polyneuropathy of varying severity occurs in association with a sepsis or critical illness. Since the clinical evaluation is often difficult, electrophysiologic studies are employed to reveal a definitive evidence for polyneuropathy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of polyneuropathy and to determine the electrophysiologic features of critically ill patients.

The subjects were 23 patients between ages of 42 and 72 with a sepsis or systemic inflammatory response syndrome combinded with the multiple organ failure.

The results revealed reductions in the amplitude of compound motor action potential and sensory nerve action potential, as the most marked abnormality. Needle EMG revealed the signs of denervation of limb muscles. Approximately 65.3% of adult patient with sepsis or multiple organ dysfunction has an axonal polyneuropathy.

We suspect that the axonal polyneuropathy is related to the severity of multiple organ dysfunction.