Patients with ICU acquired Rapid Muscle Loss at increased risk of mortality, suggests study

In order to assess the variations in body composition between patients with and without ICU-acquired weakness at the time of admission, Yoshito Yabe and his team carried out this study. It was anticipated that knowing the function of body composition prior to the emergence of ICU-AW would aid in the identification of possible treatment targets and enhance patient outcomes.

The mixed ICU at Tsukuba Memorial Hospital in Japan served as the site of this single-center, retrospective cohort research. The patients who were able to walk without assistance before admission, who underwent therapy after admission, and who lived for at least 48 hours were included in this study. During ICU admission, bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was used to determine body composition. The characteristics, results, and body compositions of patients who were divided into ICU-AW and non-ICU-AW groups were compared.

28 (9.9%) of the 282 patients under analysis experienced ICU-AW. The SOFA ratings of ICU-AW patients were higher and they were older. In the ICU-AW group, BIA revealed a lower phase angle and a greater extracellular water to total body water ratio. The skeletal muscle mass was comparable between the groups. Overall, when compared to non-ICU-AW patients, the ICU-AW patients had relatively poor cellular nutritional status but comparable skeletal muscle mass at admission.

Source:

Yabe, Y., Komori, A., Iriyama, H., Ikezawa, K., & Abe, T. (2025). Association between the development of intensive care unit-acquired weakness and body composition at intensive care unit admission: A descriptive study. In Journal of Critical Care (Vol. 85, p. 154933). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrc.2024.154933