Muscle mass measurement on DEXA predicts mortality in cardiac surgery patients: Study

Montreal: A recent study in the American Heart Journal showed that in older cardiac surgery patients, the measurements of muscle mass on dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) can help in predicting survival.  The finding suggests measuring muscle mass provides valuable information for managing high-risk heart surgery patients.

"Lower-extremity muscle strength and dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-based muscle mass are objective indicators of sarcopenia that are independently predictive of all-cause mortality in older cardiac surgery patients," wrote the authors. 

Aayushi Joshi, Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, and colleagues determined the prevalence and prognostic value of sarcopenia measured by DXA and physical performance tests in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery or heart valve procedures.

The researchers prospectively enrolled adults undergoing cardiac surgery. They completed a questionnaire, physical performance battery, and a DXA scan (GE Lunar) to measure appendicular muscle mass indexed to height2 (AMMI). Based on European Working Group 2 guidelines, they were categorized as sarcopenic if they had low AMMI defined as <7 kg/m2 for men or <5.5 kg/m2 for women, and low muscle strength defined as 5 chair rise time ≥15 seconds.