The impact of computed tomography-assessed sarcopenia on outcomes for trauma patients - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sarcopenia and Mortality in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19 can manifest as either asymptomatic or progressing to a severe phase in some patients, which may require hospitalization. These patients may experience dyspnea and hypoxia, leading to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Studies have reported an increased risk of severe sarcopenia in COVID-19 patients during and after recovery. This narrative review aimed to summarize and synthesize available studies on the association between sarcopenia and mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients. A total of 22 studies conducted on hospitalized COVID-19 patients were included in this review. Of those, 17 studies reported a direct association, while 5 studies showed no association between sarcopenia and mortality in severe COVID-19 patients. It is important to maintain muscle quality and quantity in defense against COVID-19. The measurement of lean muscle mass should be included in the risk assessment of severely ill COVID-19 patients as part of the therapy plan.

Sarcopenia is a predictor of patient death in acute ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia is proposed as a novel imaging biomarker in several acute conditions regarding outcome and mortality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic role of the masseter muscles in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

METHODS

Overall, 189 patients with AIS that received mechanical thrombectomy were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Outcome and overall survival after 90 days were analyzed. Transversal surface area and density of the masseter muscles were measured. The diagnostic performance for the estimation of a) favorable modified ranking scale 90 days (mRS 90) outcome and b) death at 90 days was calculated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, followed by receiver operating characteristics and Odds ratios.

RESULTS

The masseter muscle area provided a significant difference between patients who survived and those who died and between patients who had a favorable outcome (mRS 90 < 3) and those who did not. The cutoff for a favorable mRS 90 was found to be 435.8 mm2 for men and 338.8 mm2 for women, the cutoff for the prediction of death 421.3 mm2 for men and 326.6 mm2 for women. Masseter muscle area was the third strongest predictor in both categories after patient age and NIHSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Masseter muscle area is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with AIS.

Sarcopenia and body fat change as risk factors for radiologic incisional hernia following robotic nephrectomy

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of body muscle and fat metrics on the development of radiologic incisional hernia (IH) following robotic nephrectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients who underwent robotic nephrectomy for kidney tumors between 2011 and 2017. All pre- and postoperative CTs were re-reviewed by experienced radiologists for detection of radiologic IH and calculation of the following metrics using Synapse 3D software: cross-sectional psoas muscle mass at the level of L3 and L4 as well as subcutaneous and visceral fat areas. Sarcopenia was defined as psoas muscle index below the lowest quartile. Cox proportional hazard model was constructed to examine the association between muscle and fat metrics and the risk of developing radiologic IH.

RESULTS

A total of 236 patients with a median (IQR) age of 64 (54-70) years were included in this study. In a median (IQR) follow-up of 23 (14-38) months, 62 (26%) patients developed radiologic IH. On Cox proportional hazard model, we were unable to detect an association between sarcopenia and risk of IH development. In terms of subcutaneous fat change from pre-op, both lower and higher values were associated with IH development (HR (95% CI) 2.1 (1.2-3.4), p = 0.01 and 2.4 (1.4-4.1), p < 0.01 for < Q1 and ≥ Q3, respectively). Similar trend was found for visceral fat area changes from pre-op with a HR of 2.8 for < Q1 and 1.8 for ≥ Q3.

CONCLUSION

Both excessive body fat gain and loss are associated with development of radiologic IH in patients undergoing robotic nephrectomy.

Sarcopenia, More Than Just Muscle Atrophy: Imaging Methods for the Assessment of Muscle Quantity and Quality

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia, a progressive reduction of muscle mass and function, is associated with adverse outcomes in the elderly. Sarcopenia and muscle atrophy are not equal processes. Low muscle strength in association with muscle quantity/quality reduction is currently the optimal method for assessing sarcopenia. There is a practical need for indirect measurement of muscle strength using state-of-the-art imaging techniques.

METHODS

The following provides a narrative, broad review of all current imaging techniques for evaluating muscles and identifying sarcopenia, including DEXA, CT, MRI, and high-resolution ultrasound, their main strengths, weaknesses, and possible solutions to problems regarding each technique.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Well-recognized imaging methods for the assessment of muscle mass are explained, including evaluation with DEXA, CT, and MRI muscle quantity assessment, ultrasound evaluation of muscle thickness and CSA, and their correlations with established muscle mass calculation methods. A special focus is on imaging methods for muscle quality evaluation. Several innovative and promising techniques that are still in the research phase but show potential in the assessment of different properties of muscle quality, including MRI DIXON sequences, MRI spectroscopy, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, ultrasound echo intensity, ultrasound elastography, and speed-of-sound ultrasound imaging are briefly mentioned.

KEY POINTS

· Sarcopenia definition includes low muscle strength and low muscle quantity/quality.. · DEXA is a low-radiation method for whole-body composition measurement in a single image.. · CT has established cut-off values for muscle quality/quantity evaluation and sarcopenia diagnosis.. · MRI is the most sophisticated muscle quality assessment method capable of evaluating myosteatosis, myofibrosis, and microstructure.. · Ultrasound can evaluate muscle quality, including tissue architecture, and elasticity with excellent spatial resolution..

CITATION FORMAT

· Vasilevska Nikodinovska V, Ivanoski S, . Sarcopenia, More Than Just Muscle Atrophy: Imaging Methods for the Assessment of Muscle Quantity and Quality. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2023; 195: 777 - 789.

The association of radiologic body composition parameters with clinical outcomes in level-1 trauma patients

PURPOSE

The present study aims to assess whether CT-derived muscle mass, muscle density, and visceral fat mass are associated with in-hospital complications and clinical outcome in level-1 trauma patients.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on adult patients admitted to the University Medical Center Utrecht following a trauma between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Trauma patients aged 16 years or older without severe neurological injuries, who underwent a CT that included the abdomen within 7 days of admission, were included. An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm was used to retrieve muscle areas to calculate the psoas muscle index and to retrieve psoas muscle radiation attenuation and visceral fat (VF) area from axial CT images. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to assess associations between body composition parameters and outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 404 patients were included for analysis. The median age was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR] 30-64), and 66.6% were male. Severe comorbidities (ASA 3-4) were seen in 10.9%, and the median ISS was 9 (IQR 5-14). Psoas muscle index was not independently associated with complications, but it was associated with ICU admission (odds ratio [OR] 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-0.95), and an unfavorable Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at discharge (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.45-0.85). Psoas muscle radiation attenuation was independently associated with the development of any complication (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.42-0.85), pneumonia (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.41-0.96), and delirium (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.28-0.87). VF was associated with developing a delirium (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.12-3.41).

CONCLUSION

In level-1 trauma patients without severe neurological injuries, automatically derived body composition parameters are able to independently predict an increased risk of specific complications and other poor outcomes.

The Association between the L3 Skeletal Muscle Index Derived from Computed Tomography and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in the Emergency Department

The occurrence of a critical event during a urinary tract infection (UTI) can have a significant impact on mortality. This study aimed to investigate the association between the skeletal muscle index (SMI) and critical events in patients with a UTI. From April 2019 to March 2022, a total of 478 patients who met the diagnostic criteria of a UTI and underwent an abdominal CT were included in this study. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess independent predictors of critical events. The primary outcome was any critical event, defined as the initiation of dialysis, invasive ventilation, initiation of vasoactive medications, cardiac arrest, or death. The UTI patients were divided into two groups: those with a low SMI (n = 93) and those with a high SMI (n = 385). In multivariate analysis, a low SMI, diabetes mellitus, altered mentality, lactate levels, and creatinine levels were identified as significant predictors of critical events. A low SMI is an independent factor associated with the occurrence of critical events in UTI patients during hospitalization. Patients with a low SMI, indicating muscle wasting, may have less resilience to infections and a higher risk of experiencing severe complications. Considering the SMI along with other clinical factors can help health care providers assess and manage UTI patients.

High Fat-to-Muscle Ratio Was Associated with Increased Clinical Severity in Patients with Abdominal Trauma

Overweight and moderate obesity confer a survival benefit in chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease and chronic kidney disease, which has been termed the "obesity paradox". However, whether this phenomenon exists in trauma patients remains controversial. We performed a retrospective cohort study in abdominal trauma patients admitted to a Level I trauma center in Nanjing, China between 2010 and 2020. In addition to the traditional body mass index (BMI) based measures, we further examined the association between body composition-based indices with clinical severity in trauma populations. Body composition indices including skeletal muscle index (SMI), fat tissue index (FTI), and total fat-to-muscle ratio (FTI/SMI) were measured using computed tomography. Our study found that overweight was associated with a four-fold risk of mortality (OR, 4.47 [95% CI, 1.40-14.97], p = 0.012) and obesity was associated with a seven-fold risk of mortality (OR, 6.56 [95% CI, 1.07-36.57], p = 0.032) compared to normal weight. Patients with high FTI/SMI had a three-fold risk of mortality (OR, 3.06 [95% CI, 1.08-10.16], p = 0.046) and double the risk of an intensive care unit length of stay ≥ 5 d (OR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.06-2.91], p = 0.031) compared to patients with low FTI/SMI. The obesity paradox was not observed in abdominal trauma patients, and high FTI/SMI ratio was independently associated with increased clinical severity.

Prognostic Role of the Pectoralis Musculature in Patients with COVID-19. A Multicenter Study

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact of low skeletal muscle mass in patients with COVID-19 on relevant outcomes like 30-day mortality, need for intubation and need for intensive care unit admission.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

For this study, data from six centers were acquired. The acquired sample comprises 1138 patients. There were 547 women (48.1%) and 591 men (51.9%) with a mean age of 54.5 ± 18.8 years; median age, 55 years; range, 18-84 years). In every case, thoracic CT without intravenous application of contrast medium was performed. The following parameters of the pectoralis muscles were estimated: muscle area as a sum of the bilateral areas of the pectoralis major and minor muscles, muscle density, muscle index (PMI) (pectoralis muscle area divided by the patient's body height square) as a ratio pectoralis major and minor muscles divided by the patient's body height², and muscle gauge as PMI x muscle density.

RESULTS

Overall, 220 patients (19.33%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. In 171 patients (15.03%), mechanical lung ventilation was performed. Finally, 154 patients (13.53%) died within the observation time of 30-day. All investigated parameters of pectoralis muscle were lower in the patients with unfavorable courses of Covid-19. All pectoralis muscle parameters were associated with 30-day mortality in multivariate analyses adjusted for age and sex: pectoralis muscle area, HR = 0.93 CI 95% (0.91-0.95) p < 0.001; pectoralis muscle density, HR = 0.94 CI 95% (0.93-0.96) p < 0.001; pectoralis muscle index, HR = 0.79 CI 95% (0.75-0.85) p < 0.001, pectoralis muscle gauge, HR = 0.995 CI 95% (0.99-0.996) p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION

in COVID-19, survivors have larger areas and higher index, gauge and density of the pectoralis muscles in comparison to nonsurvivors. However, the analyzed muscle parameters cannot be used for prediction of disease courses.

Sarcopenia as a predictor of mortality among the critically ill in an intensive care unit: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The evidence of sarcopenia based on CT-scan as an important prognostic factor for critically ill patients has not seen consistent results. To determine the impact of sarcopenia on mortality in critically ill patients, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify the association between sarcopenia and mortality.

METHODS

We searched studies from the literature of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library from database inception to June 15, 2020. All observational studies exploring the relationship between sarcopenia based on CT-scan and mortality in critically ill patients were included. The search and data analysis were independently conducted by two investigators. A meta-analysis was performed using STATA Version 14.0 software using a fixed-effects model.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies with a total of 3,249 participants were included in our meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia among critically ill patients was 41 % (95 % CI:33-49 %). Critically ill patients with sarcopenia in the intensive care unit have an increased risk of mortality compared to critically ill patients without sarcopenia (OR = 2.28, 95 %CI: 1.83-2.83; P < 0.001; I² = 22.1 %). In addition, a subgroup analysis found that sarcopenia was associated with high risk of mortality when defining sarcopenia by total psoas muscle area (TPA, OR = 3.12,95 %CI:1.71-5.70), skeletal muscle index (SMI, OR = 2.16,95 %CI:1.60-2.90), skeletal muscle area (SMA, OR = 2.29, 95 %CI:1.37-3.83), and masseter muscle(OR = 2.08, 95 %CI:1.15-3.77). Furthermore, critically ill patients with sarcopenia have an increased risk of mortality regardless of mortality types such as in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.99, 95 %CI:1.45-2.73), 30-day mortality(OR = 2.08, 95 %CI:1.36-3.19), and 1-year mortality (OR = 3.23, 95 %CI:2.08 -5.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Sarcopenia increases the risk of mortality in critical illness. Identifying the risk factors of sarcopenia should be routine in clinical assessments and offering corresponding interventions may help medical staff achieve good patient outcomes in ICU departments.

Capture rates of comorbidity measures at inpatient rehabilitation facilities after a stroke or brain injury

BACKGROUND

Comorbidity indices have been used to represent the overall medical complexity of patient populations in clinical research; however, it is not known how well they capture the comorbidities of patients with a stroke or brain injury admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs).

OBJECTIVE

To determine how well commonly used comorbidity indices capture the comorbidities of patients admitted to IRFs after a stroke or brain injury.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, retrospective study.

SETTING

IRFs nationwide.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults from four impairment groups: (1) hemorrhagic stroke, (2) ischemic stroke, (3) nontraumatic brain injury (NTBI), and (4) traumatic brain injury (TBI).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes were extracted from the Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation (UDSMR) for IRF discharges from October 1, 2015 to December 31, 2017. The percentage of discharges captured by Deyo-Charlson, Elixhauser, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) tiers was determined, as was the percentage of comorbidities captured. These measures were also compared with respect to their ability to capture chronic medical complexity by examining the percentage of codes captured after removal of codes deemed to represent hospital complications or sequela of the admission diagnosis.

RESULTS

The percentage of discharges without at least one ICD-10-CM code captured by any index ranged from 0.3%-3.8%. The percentage of comorbidities with a prevalence exceeding 1% captured by at least one index ranged from 37.1%-43.6%. Chronic comorbidities were most likely to be captured by Elixhauser (40.7%-44.4%), followed by Deyo-Charlson (7.8%-9.6%), then CMS tiers (4.5%-6.9%). Existing comorbidity measures capture most IRF discharges related to a brain injury or stroke, whereas most medical comorbidities escape representation. Several common, functionally relevant diagnoses were not captured.

CONCLUSION

The use of comorbidity indices in the IRF neurologic injury population should account for the fact that these measures miss several common, important comorbidities.

Low skeletal muscle mass predicts poor clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate whether low skeletal muscle mass is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma.

METHODS

Patients presenting to our institution with abdominal trauma from January 2010 to April 2020 were retrospectively included. Low skeletal muscle mass was defined, using computed tomography, as skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the third lumbar vertebra below the lowest sex-specific quartile within 1 wk of admission. Clinical outcomes such as complications, hospital stay, and hospital cost were recorded, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Among 684 patients, 451 were eligible. Of these, 112 (24.8%) were classified as having low skeletal muscle mass, based on SMI diagnostic cutoff values (42.08 cm²/m² for men and 37.35 cm²/m² for women). Low skeletal muscle mass was significantly associated with longer hospital length of stay, longer intensive care length of stay, higher cost, higher frequency of mechanical ventilation, longer duration of vasopressor use, and higher incidence of massive transfusion and overall complications (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that pneumonia, acute gastrointestinal dysfunction, cholecystitis, digestive tract fistula, gastric fistula, and intestinal fistula were significantly associated with low skeletal muscle mass (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that low skeletal muscle mass was an independent risk factor for overall complications (odds ratio [OR], 2.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33-4.49; P = 0.004), hospital length of stay (OR, 3.49; 95% CI, 1.96-6.20; P < 0.001), and hospital cost (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.48-4.80; P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Low skeletal muscle mass could be an independent predictor of poor clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma.