Sarcopaenia in surgical ICU predicts poor functional outcomes after discharge

Surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients who develop sarcopaenia are more likely to experience poor functional outcomes after discharge, a recent Thailand study has found.

Researchers conducted a prospective, cohort study enrolling 120 SICU patients (mean age 75.0±7.6 years, 51.7 percent men). Muscle mass and strength were assessed through bioelectrical impedance vector analysis and handgrip- or manual-muscle-strength tests. The primary endpoint was functional outcome 1 month after discharge, evaluated using the Thai version of the Barthel index for activities of daily living (ADL).

Sarcopaenia, defined as a muscle mass-to-body weight ratio of <7.0 kg/m² in men and <5.7 kg/m² in women, was detected in 40 participants, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 33.3 percent.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that sarcopaenia more than tripled the likelihood of poor functional outcomes 1 month after discharge (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 3.33, 95 percent confidence interval, 1.25–8.87; p=0.016). A longer duration of mechanical ventilation (adjusted OR, 1.19, 95 percent CI, 1.02–1.38; p=0.024) and of hospital stay (adjusted OR, 1.05, 95 percent CI, 1.01–1.10; p=0.02) were likewise independent risk factors for poor functional outcomes.

Sarcopaenia also doubled the risk of 120-day mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.07, 95 percent CI, 1.02–4.22; p=0.045).

“The ability to early identify sarcopenia in ICU patients provided benefits to the prediction of treatment outcomes and to the implementation of strategies to prevent the development of ICU-acquired weakness,” the researchers said.