Early Assessment of Quadriceps Muscle Recovery by Dynamometry and 3D Ultrasound in Intensive Care Patients Under Invasive Mechanical Ventilation

Launched by NANTES UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL · Jul 16, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at how well the thigh muscles (specifically the quadriceps) recover in patients who have been very sick in the intensive care unit (ICU) and needed help breathing through a machine (mechanical ventilation) for at least four days. People in the ICU often develop muscle weakness because they are immobile for a long time, which can make recovery harder. The study aims to find better ways to measure muscle strength early on using tools like muscle testing devices and ultrasound, so doctors can better understand and predict how well patients will regain their muscle function over time.

Adults over 18 who have been treated in the ICU with a breathing machine for at least four days and are awake, able to follow simple commands, and have some muscle strength in their legs may be eligible to join. Participants will undergo tests to measure their thigh muscle strength and recovery. This information could help improve care and recovery plans for patients after serious illness. It’s important to know that people with certain conditions, like recent leg injuries, neurological diseases, or who are pregnant, will not be able to participate. The study is not yet enrolling patients but aims to help improve muscle recovery monitoring in the ICU in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged \> 18 years
• • Hospitalized in an ICU
• • Treated with invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) for at least 4 days during their stay (may be extubated at the time of inclusion)
• • Conscious and cooperative patients: ability to respond appropriately to the following commands: open and close eyes, look at me, nod your head, stick out your tongue, raise your eyebrows when I count to five
• • MRC score ≥ 3/5 for the "Leg Extension" function on either the left or right side
• • Informed consent obtained (no opposition)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• • Fracture or amputation of a lower limb
• • Acute or chronic brain or spinal cord injury responsible for hemiplegia or paraplegia
• • Unstable spinal injury
• • Neurodegenerative or chronic neurological disease
• • Guillain-Barré Syndrome
• • Myasthenia Gravis
• • Acute deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs treated within the last 48 hours
• • Pre-existing motor deficit in a lower limb before the ICU stay, of any cause
• • Incarcerated or legally protected individuals (guardianship, curatorship)
• • Individuals without social protection