The potential risk factors of critical illness polyneuromyopathy (CIPM) were prospectively evaluated for a 28-day period in a group of 79 critically ill patients. Forty-eight patients completed follow-up. The development of CIPM at the end of the first month was observed in 27 patients (56.3%), and it was associated with the occurrence and duration of the symetric inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) (plang1029 0.001) andwith degree ofmultiple organ failure expressed as the summed 28-day SOFA score (a quantitative score for evaluation of the degree of dysfunction or failure of the respiratory, cardiovascular, central nervous, hepatic, renal, and haematological systems) (plang1029 0.001). Analysis of the individual organ scores showed independent association between the development of CIPM and the summed 28-day respiratory and central nervous system SOFAscores.Neither the admission SOFAscore (at day 0) nor the summed first week SOFA score were associated with the CIPM development, while the summed week SOFA scores during next three weeks were significantly higher in the CIPM group. These findings support the posibility of etiological linkage between the SIRS and the development of both critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy. Early detection of CIPM in a subgroup of patients during the first week of critical illness and the increase in the association betweenthe degree of multiple organ failure and the CIPM development support the hypothesis of the CIPM being a part of multiple organ failure (a neuromuscular failure?).We didn’t find independent influence of other potential factors upon the development of the CIPM, namely that of cumulative dose of corticosteroids, non-depolarising muscle blocking agents and aminoglycosides, age, gender, hypoalbuminaemia, hyperglycaemia, and ion dysbalance.

        Key words: risk factors of critical illness polyneuropathy, SOFA score, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, neuromuscular failure