Upon assessment of a patient in the intensive care unit, the nurse determines the patient is experiencing critical illness polyneuropathy. Which of the following did the nurse assess in this patient?

Question

1. absence of deep tendon reflexes
2. diffuse weakness
3. facial grimacing with a painful stimuli but without withdrawal from the stimuli
4. elevated creatine kinase level

Answer 1

3

Rationale: One symptom of critical illness polyneuropathy is the demonstration of a painful stimuli being present, such as facial grimacing, without the ability to withdraw from the stimuli. This is because of a distal loss of pain reception abilities. Deep tendon reflexes are preserved in critical illness polyneuropathy. Critical illness myelopathy presents with diffuse weakness, depressed deep tendon reflexes, and mildly elevated creatine kinase levels.