To evaluate risk factors for the intensive care unit acquired weakness systematically to provide references for the prevention of the intensive care unit acquired weakness.

The risk factors literature for the intensive care unit acquired weakness were searched by CNKI, VIP, WanFang Data, CBM, PubMed, Cochrane library and EMBASE before June 2014. The study group selected the reports and extracted relative data as well as assessed the methodological quality according to the inclusion and exclusion criterion, and performed the Meta-analysis with RevMan 5.2 software.

Twelve prospective cohort studies were enrolled, including patients who suffered from the intensive care unit acquired weakness were 331 and the patients from the control group were 546. Relative risk/mean difference and 95% confidence interval for the risk factors of the results of Meta-analysis were as follows: age 1.95(-1.51-5.41), female 1.57 (1.08-2.27), corticosteroids 1.19 (0.98-1.44), aminoglycoside 1.53 (1.22-1.91), neuromuscular blocking agent 1.52 (1.13-2.05), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ on admission 2.82(-1.69-7.33), sequential organ failure assessment 1.07(0.24-1.90), sepsis 2.32(1.07-5.03), parenteral nutrition 1.08 (0.95-1.22), renal replacement therapy 1.44 (0.61-3.41), days on mechnical ventilation 15.07 (11.98-18.15).

According to the articles included, risk factors for the development of the intensive care unit acquired weakness are aminoglycoside, neuromuscular blocking agents and days on mechanical ventilation, and the possible risk factors are female, sepsis.

Risk factor; Meta-analysis; Intensive care unit acquired weakness