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Basic and clinical research is unraveling the pathophysiological mechanisms of critical illness myopathy and polyneuropathy, and methods for rapid diagnosis are actively investigated. Future studies should better define the population at risk of developing CIM and CIP. In fact, although sepsis, multi-organ failure and steroids are often cited as risk factors, uncertainty remains due to the poor methodological quality of studies, or because of inferences that are exclusively based on animal studies. New simplified diagnostic techniques and machines for electrophysiological investigations of peripheral nerves and muscles in the intensive-care unit (ICU) patient would also be welcome.