Observational studyCritical care explorations2024
Persistent Fatigue, Weakness, and Aberrant Muscle Mitochondria in Survivors of Critical COVID-19.
Observational study in Critical care explorations, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Altered muscle transcriptome as molecular basis of long-term muscle weakness in survivors from critical illness.Intensive care medicine · 2025Trial
- Persistent impairments in muscle function and symptom burden in post-COVID syndrome: a prospective longitudinal study.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Observational
- Intensive Care Unit Acquired Weakness as a Modifiable Organ Dysfunction? A Narrative Review of Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Concepts.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Muscle Dysfunction and Physical Recovery After Critical Illness.Journal of intensive care medicine · 2026Review
- Effects of an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program on exercise capacity, muscle fatigue, dyspnea, and functional status in post-COVID-19 patients: non-randomized clinical trial.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Article
- Functional and muscle recovery after critical illness: current and future nutritional, physical and metabolic strategies.Annals of intensive care · 2026Review
- Trajectories of Recovery after ACutE and cRitical illness (TRACER): a prospective observational study protocol.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Post-COVID-19 Rehabilitation Improves Mobility and Gait Performance: Evidence from TUG and 10MWT.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Towards optimised nutrition therapy after critical illness: a position statement and research framework by the global research initiative on post-intensive care nutrition (GRIP) consortium.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Review
- Gastrocnemius Myofiber Type and Mitochondrial Alterations Associated With Peripheral Artery Disease Severity.Function (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Sepsis Induces Long-Term Muscle and Mitochondrial Dysfunction due to Autophagy Disruption Amenable by Urolithin A.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Article
- The flux of energy in critical illness and the obesity paradox.Physiological reviews · 2025Review
- Muscle weakness after critical illness: unravelling biological mechanisms and clinical hurdles.Critical care (London, England) · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPersistent skeletal muscle dysfunction in survivors of critical illness due to acute respiratory failure is common, but biological data elucidating underlying mechanisms are limited. The objective of this study was to elucidate the prevalence of skeletal muscle weakness and fatigue in survivors of critical illness due to COVID-19 and determine if cellular changes associate with persistent skeletal muscle dysfunction.
designA prospective observational study in two phases: 1) survivors of critical COVID-19 participating in physical outcome measures while attending an ICU Recovery Clinic at short-term follow-up and 2) a nested cohort of patients performed comprehensive muscle and physical function assessments with a muscle biopsy; data were compared with non-COVID controls.
settingICU Recovery Clinic and clinical laboratory. PATIENTS/SUBJECTS: Survivors of critical COVID-19 and non-COVID controls.
interventionsNone. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN
resultsOne hundred twenty patients with a median of 56 years old (interquartile range [IQR], 42-65 yr old), 43% female, and 33% individuals of underrepresented race attended follow-up 44 ± 17 days after discharge. Patients had a median Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II score of 24.0 (IQR, 16-29) and 98 patients (82%) required mechanical ventilation with a median duration of 14 days (IQR, 9-21 d). At short-term follow-up significant physical dysfunction was observed with 93% of patients reporting generalized fatigue and performing mean 218 ± 151 meters on 6-minute walk test (45% ± 30% of predicted). Eleven patients from this group agreed to participate in long-term assessment and muscle biopsy occurring a mean 267 ± 98 days after discharge. Muscle tissue from COVID exhibited a greater abundance of M2-like macrophages and satellite cells and lower activity of mitochondrial complex II and complex IV compared with controls.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that aberrant repair and altered mitochondrial activity in skeletal muscle associates with long-term impairments in patients surviving an ICU admission for COVID-19.
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