Biomarkers and the quadriceps femoris muscle architecture assessed by ultrasound in older adults with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a cross-sectional study

Ultrasound-measured quadriceps thickness and mortality in older patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Ultrasound may be helpful for muscle mass assessment in heart failure (HF). We aimed to determine the feasibility and prognostic implications of ultrasound-measured quadriceps muscle thickness (QMT) in older patients with HF.

METHODS

This was a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort study including patients hospitalized for HF aged ≥ 65 years. QMT at rest and during isometric contractions was measured in the supine position using ultrasound before discharge.

RESULTS

The interobserver agreement for measuring QMT was excellent, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of 0.979 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.963-0.988) at rest and 0.997 (95% CI 0.994-0.998) during isometric contraction. The intra-observer reproducibility was also excellent (ICC >0.92). Of the 595 patients (median age: 81 years, 56% male), median QMT at rest and during contraction were 18.9 mm and 24.9 mm, respectively. The patients were grouped according to sex-specific tertiles of height-adjusted QMT. During the median follow-up of 735 days, 157 deaths occurred, and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that the lowest tertile of the height-adjusted QMT was associated with higher mortality. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that thinner height-adjusted QMT was independently associated with higher mortality, even after adjusting for conventional risk factors (per 1 mm/m increase: hazard ratio [HR] 0.94, 95% CI 0.89-0.99, P=0.030 [at rest] and HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.90-0.99, P=0.015 [during isometric contraction]).

CONCLUSIONS

Ultrasound-measured QMT in older patients with HF is feasible, and thinner height-adjusted QMT at rest and during isometric contraction was independently associated with higher mortality.

Skeletal muscle architecture and aging: A comparison of ultrasound techniques and an assessment of intrarater reliability

OBJECTIVE

To assess intrarater reliability of ultrasound-determined measurements of skeletal muscle characteristics across different measurement outcomes, imaging techniques, and age groups.

METHODS

2D ultrasound images (B-mode) of the quadriceps were obtained from young (26 ± 4 year, n = 8 M, 8 F) and older (70 ± 7 year, n = 7 M, 5 F) adults on two occasions, separated by 6 ± 3 days. With participants in both standing and supine postures, images were collected from five anatomical sites along the anterior (two sites) and lateral (three sites) compartments of the thigh corresponding to 56%, 39%, and 22% (lateral only) of femur length. Images were analysed for muscle thickness, pennation angle, and echogenicity. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to assess reliability.

RESULTS

Muscle thickness values were higher (p < 0.05) on images collected in the stand versus supine posture only for muscles of the anterior compartment, independent of age. Echogenicity values were higher (p < 0.05) in the vastus intermedius on images collected in the supine versus stand posture only in older adults. Pennation angle values were not impacted by imaging posture (p > 0.05). ICC values for thickness, echogenicity, and pennation angle were generally higher for analyses conducted on images collected in the supine versus stand posture. Imaging posture generated a greater difference in ICC values in the lateral versus anterior muscles and in older versus younger participants.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that participant posture during imaging impacts the absolute values and intrarater reliability of ultrasound-determined muscle characteristics in a muscle-specific fashion, and this effect is greater in older compared to younger individuals.

Development of Continuous Assessment of Muscle Quality and Frailty in Older Patients Using Multiparametric Combinations of Ultrasound and Blood Biomarkers: Protocol for the ECOFRAIL Study

BACKGROUND

Frailty resulting from the loss of muscle quality can potentially be delayed through early detection and physical exercise interventions. There is a demand for cost-effective tools for the objective evaluation of muscle quality, in both cross-sectional and longitudinal assessments. Literature suggests that quantitative analysis of ultrasound data captures morphometric, compositional, and microstructural muscle properties, while biological assays derived from blood samples are associated with functional information.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to assess multiparametric combinations of ultrasound and blood-based biomarkers to offer a cross-sectional evaluation of the patient frailty phenotype and to track changes in muscle quality associated with supervised exercise programs.

METHODS

This prospective observational multicenter study will include patients aged 70 years and older who are capable of providing informed consent. We aim to recruit 100 patients from hospital environments and 100 from primary care facilities. Each patient will undergo at least two examinations (baseline and follow-up), totaling a minimum of 400 examinations. In hospital environments, 50 patients will be measured before/after a 16-week individualized and supervised exercise program, while another 50 patients will be followed up after the same period without intervention. Primary care patients will undergo a 1-year follow-up evaluation. The primary objective is to compare cross-sectional evaluations of physical performance, functional capacity, body composition, and derived scales of sarcopenia and frailty with biomarker combinations obtained from muscle ultrasound and blood-based assays. We will analyze ultrasound raw data obtained with a point-of-care device, along with a set of biomarkers previously associated with frailty, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, we will examine the sensitivity of these biomarkers to detect short-term muscle quality changes and functional improvement after a supervised exercise intervention compared with usual care.

RESULTS

At the time of manuscript submission, the enrollment of volunteers is ongoing. Recruitment started on March 1, 2022, and ends on June 30, 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

The outlined study protocol will integrate portable technologies, using quantitative muscle ultrasound and blood biomarkers, to facilitate an objective cross-sectional assessment of muscle quality in both hospital and primary care settings. The primary objective is to generate data that can be used to explore associations between biomarker combinations and the cross-sectional clinical assessment of frailty and sarcopenia. Additionally, the study aims to investigate musculoskeletal changes following multicomponent physical exercise programs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05294757; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05294757.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/50325.

Variability in Cross-Sectional Muscle Atrophy: Insights From the Central Rectus Femoris

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the non-uniformity of cross-sectional areas in atrophic muscles using the central aponeurosis (CA) as a marker for the central region of the rectus femoris (RF).

METHODS

We enrolled 51 consecutively admitted patients (102 limbs) with aortic valve stenosis who were scheduled for elective surgical or catheter-based aortic valve replacement and were expected to have low physical activity-induced muscle atrophy. We obtained short-axis images of the mid-thigh using an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system (with a 5-cm-wide probe) and measured the deviation of the central region of the rectus femoris from the body surface. Muscle thickness was measured using conventional morphological measurements on the body surface ("On Surface") and landmarks within the ultrasonographic image ("In Images").

RESULTS

Displacements ≥ 1.5 cm were observed in 56 (54.9%) limbs, and displacements ≥ 2.5 cm were observed in 34 (33%) limbs. The displacements were predominantly in the medial direction and ranged from 4 cm to 1.5 cm. Among the cases in which the deviation was ≥2.5 cm, "On Surface" measurements resulted in images in which the vastus lateralis overlapped with the rectus femoris. The thickness of the rectus femoris was significantly lower with "On Surface" measurements than with "In Images" measurements (right, p < 0.001; left, p = 0.007), with a maximum difference of 10.5 mm.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, it was observed that the rectus femoris at the center was often displaced medially, and the muscle thickness was thinner at the edge than at the center, showing a non-uniform morphology.

Diagnosis and Management of Malnutrition in Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure is a disease with an increasingly greater prevalence due to the aging population, the development of new drugs, and the organization of healthcare processes. Malnutrition has been identified as a poor prognostic factor in these patients, very often linked to frailty or to other comorbidities, meaning that early diagnosis and treatment are essential. This paper reviews some important aspects of the pathophysiology, detection, and management of malnutrition in patients with heart failure.

Quantitative evaluation of gastrocnemius medialis mass in patients with chronic heart failure by gray-scale ultrasound and shear wave elastography

Objective

To assess the usefulness of gray-scale ultrasound (US) and shear wave elastography (SWE) in assessing the condition of the skeletal muscles in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods

We prospectively compared 20 patients with clinically diagnosed CHF and a control population of 20 normal volunteers. The gastrocnemius medialis (GM) of each individual in the rest and the contraction position was assessed using gray-scale US and SWE. The quantitative US parameters including the fascicle length (FL), pinnation angle (PA), echo intensity (EI), and Young's modulus of the muscle were measured.

Results

In the CHF group compared with the control group, in the rest position, there was a significant difference in EI, PA, and FL of the GM (P &lt; 0.001), but no statistically significant difference in Young's modulus values (P &gt; 0.05); however, in the contraction position, all parameters were statistically different between the two groups (P &lt; 0.001). In the different subgroups of the CHF group grouped according to New York Heart Association staging (NYHA) or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), there were no significant differences in ultrasound parameters in the rest position. However, during the contraction of GM, the smaller the FL and Young's modulus, the larger the PA and EI with the increase of NYHA grade or the decrease of LVEF (P &lt; 0.001).

Conclusion

The gray-scale US and SWE can provide an objective assessment of skeletal muscle status for CHF patients and are expected to be used to guide their early rehabilitation training and improve their prognosis.