Muscle is electrically inexcitable in acute quadriplegic myopathy

TLDR

The study aimed to determine whether paralyzed muscle in acute quadriplegic myopathy is electrically excitable by directly stimulating muscle in three patients. The authors directly stimulated muscle in three patients—two treated with neuromuscular blockers and corticosteroids, one with corticosteroids alone—to assess excitability. Paralyzed muscle was electrically inexcitable, but regained excitability over weeks to months, paralleling clinical recovery and indicating paralysis is secondary to membrane inexcitability.

Abstract

We directly stimulated muscle in three patients with acute quadriplegic myopathy to determine whether paralyzed muscle in this syndrome is electrically excitable. Two of the patients had been treated with neuromuscular blocking agents and corticosteroids, and one patient had been treated with corticosteroids alone. We found that paralyzed muscle is electrically inexcitable in affected patients. Muscle regained electrical excitability over weeks to months. The recovery of muscle excitability paralleled the clinical recovery of patients, suggesting that paralysis in this syndrome is secondary to electrical inexcitability of muscle membrane.