Background
skeletal muscle mass, critically ill, sarcopenia, ICU-AW, skeletal muscle wasting, cancer cachexia
CRITICALLY ILL, CRITICAL ILLNESS, SARCOPENIA, MUSCLE WASTING
Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a frequent problem that induces skeletal muscle wasting while patients are suffering from a life-threatening condition [Emerging research indicates the significant influence of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on skeletal muscle mass and physical function in a clinical context, such as in the case of sarcopenia, hospitalised elderly patients, cancer cachexia, and critical illness [RT is another non-pharmacological intervention that has been studied extensively in a variety of healthy [Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the potential benefits of RT and/or HMB administration in internal medical critically ill patients. To achieve this goal, we conducted a multicentre, assessor-blinded, four-arm randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing RT alone, HMB alone, the combination of both interventions, and standard care throughout the entire hospitalisation intervention period, including ICU and general ward stays. The hypothesis of this innovative RCT posits that the combined intervention leads to (1) enhanced physical functioning at hospital discharge, (2) mitigated muscle wasting, and (3) improved patient-reported outcomes, such as quality of life one month after hospital discharge.