The effect of pre-existing sarcopenia on outcomes of critically ill patients treated for COVID-19
Article Category: Research Article
Published Online: Jan 31, 2025
Page range: 33 - 43
Received: Oct 18, 2024
Accepted: Nov 21, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jccm-2024-0045
Keywords
© 2025 Thomas Bradier et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Background
Sarcopenia, defined by a loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, has been identified as a prevalent condition associated with poor clinical outcome among critically ill patients. This study aims to evaluate the impact of pre-existing sarcopenia on outcomes in critically ill patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF) due to COVID-19.
Material and Methods
A retrospective study was carried out on COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care. Pre-existing sarcopenia was assessed using early CT scans. Clinical outcomes, including duration of high-flow oxygenation (HFO), mechanical ventilation (MV), length of hospital stay (LOS) and ICU mortality, were evaluated according to sarcopenia status.
Results
Among the studied population, we found a high prevalence (75 patients, 50%) of pre-existing sarcopenia, predominantly in older male patients. Pre-existing sarcopenia significantly impacted HFO duration (6.8 (+/−4.4) vs. 5 (+/−2.9) days; p=0.005) but did not significantly affect MV requirement (21 (28%) vs. 23 (37.3%); p=185), MV duration (7 vs. 10 days; p=0.233), ICU mortality (12 (16%) vs. 10 (13.3 %); p=0.644) or hospital LOS (27 vs. 25 days; p=0.509). No differences in outcomes were observed between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic obese patients.
Conclusions
Pre-existing sarcopenia in critically ill COVID-19 patients is associated with longer HFO duration but not with other adverse outcomes. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms and broader impact of sarcopenia on septic critically ill patient outcomes.