This study demonstrated that patients discharged from ICU in this resource-constrained setting presented with peripheral and respiratory muscle weakness at unit discharge.

Muscle weakness occurred despite a short ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation, relatively low APACHE II scores, and younger patient age.

The large variation in structural changes observed in both peripheral and respiratory muscles over the first 3 days of unit admission needs further scrutiny.

While both peripheral and respiratory muscle strength was associated with functional capacity, the strength of the association indicates that other factors than muscle strength may be associated with functional impairments.

Moving forward it is important to investigate whether these outcomes suggest a different phenotype of critical illness in resource-constrained environments.

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