Abstract
This chapter is devoted to the most common acute neuromuscular disorders encountered in the pediatric intensive care unit. An organized approach to neuromuscular disorders requires recognition that neuromuscular diseases encompass the entire motor unit. The motor unit consists of the anterior horn cell, which begins in the spinal cord and terminates in a motor nerve; the myelin associated with the nerve; the neuromuscular junction; and the muscle that the nerve innervates. Any disruption of this pathway may produce weakness. Neuropathies and myopathies may be distinguished by sensory abnormalities and the distribution of the weakness. Neuromuscular junction defects often show variable weakness. Etiologic possibilities are narrowed by considering the clinical presentation, family history, recent illness, travel, inciting factors, and the clinical course.
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