The field of critical care medicine has flourished, but an unfortunate result of improved patient survival in the intensive care unit (ICU) is the occurrence of certain acquired neuromuscular disorders. The two most common disorders are an acute myopathy predominantly associated with the use of intravenous corticosteroids and neuromuscular junction (NMJ) blocking agents, and an axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy termed critical illness polyneuropathy. 1, 13 The myopathy has been given a number of descriptive titles that identify its major features, including critical illness myopathy, acute quadriplegic myopathy, 11 acute (necrotizing) myopathy of intensive care, 5, 14 thick filament myopathy, acute corticosteroid myopathy, acute hydrocortisone myopathy, acute myopathy in severe asthma, 3 acute corticosteroid and pancuronium-associated myopathy, and critical care myopathy. All of these designations refer to a common syndrome, and a single description for this disorder therefore seems appropriate. To parallel the description of the peripheral nerve disorder, we suggest using only the term “critical illness myopathy” for this acute muscle disorder.