title: Emergency Neurological Life Support: Acute Non-traumatic Weakness.
abstract: Acute non-traumatic weakness may be life threatening if it involves the respiratory muscles or is associated with autonomic dysfunction. Most patients presenting with acute muscle weakness have a worsening neurological disorder that requires a rapid, systematic evaluation, and detailed neurological exam to localize the disorder. Urgent laboratory tests and neuroimaging are needed in many patients to make the diagnosis. Because acute weakness is a common presenting sign of neurological emergencies, it was chosen as an Emergency Neurological Life Support protocol. Causes of acute non-traumatic weakness are discussed by both presenting clinical signs and anatomical location. For each diagnosis, key features of the history, examination, investigations, and treatment are outlined in the included tables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia. oliver.flower@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Flower
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Anna Finley
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Caulfield
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000379:methods*; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Acute weakness; Neuromuscular weakness; Respiratory failure