Sarcopenia in critical patients – relationship between mortality, nutrition and functional activity: Single-center prospective observational cohort study

Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by loss of both muscle mass and muscle function and is very common in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). The aim was to investigate the relationship between sarcopenia and mortality, nutrition, weakness and functional activity in intensive care patients. This prospective cohort study included patients who underwent ultrasonographic quadriceps muscle thickness measurement 48 hours after admission to the anesthesia ICU. Patients who underwent ultrasonographic quadriceps muscle thickness measurement in the anesthesia ICU were included in the study. Correlation analysis was performed with sarcopenia parameters and clinical conditions (acute physiology and chronic health evaluation [APACHE] II and sequential organ failure assessment [SOFA]), malnutrition (nutritional risk screening 2002 [NRS2002] and nutrition risk in critically ill score [NUTRIC]), frailty (simple questionnaire to rapidly diagnose sarcopenia [SARC-F]), and life activities scales. Fifty-one patients were included in the study. A negative correlation was found between rectus femoris (RF) muscle thickness and Charlson comorbidity index, NUTRIC, NRS2022 and frailty index scores, a negative correlation with SARC-F score, a positive correlation with KATZ score and a positive correlation with Lawron-Brody score (P < .05). A negative correlation was found between vastus intermedius (VI) muscle thickness and NRS2002 and SARC-F scores, and a positive correlation was found with KATZ score (P < .05). Ultrasonographic measurement of quadriceps muscle thickness in intensive care patients is a useful evaluation method in patient follow-up in terms of nutritional defect, frailty, daily living activities, and mortality.