Intensive Care Medicine Experimental
Early mechanical changes of limb muscle in septic shock assessed by dual-plane shear-wave elastography
Abstract Background Septic shock induces skeletal muscle wasting and neuromuscular dysfunction, contributing to ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW) and poor recovery after critical illness. Conventional ultrasound primarily captures structural changes but provides limited insight into early muscle mechanical alterations or their relationships with clinical factors. Shear-wave elastography (SWE) enables non-invasive assessment of muscle stiffness, but its performance in critically ill patients remains poorly understood. M …