THE PREVALENCE OF SARCOPENIA AND ITS EFFECTS ON OUTCOMES IN POLYTRAUMA

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Trauma Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Sarcopenia negatively impacts populations, but its prevalence in polytrauma patients remains understudied.
• Understanding sarcopenia frequency in polytrauma is crucial for raising awareness and mitigating further muscle loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in elderly polytrauma patients.
• To investigate associations between sarcopenia, complications, mortality, and inflammatory responses.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of polytrauma patients (2017-2021) from a level-I trauma center registry.
• Sarcopenia assessment using skeletal mass index (SMI) derived from abdominal CT scans and patient height.
• Evaluation of clinical outcomes and multivariate regression analysis for predictors of poor outcomes.

Main Results:

• Overall sarcopenia prevalence was 33.5%, significantly higher in older age groups (82% in those >80 years).
• Sarcopenia correlated with Injury Severity Score (ISS), age, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and 30-day/in-hospital mortality.
• Log rank analysis identified sarcopenia as a predictor of 30-day mortality (p=0.032).

Conclusions:

• Polytrauma patients exhibit a high prevalence of sarcopenia, increasing with age.
• Sarcopenia is a significant predictor of 30-day mortality in this cohort.
• Routine CT scans in trauma patients offer an opportunity for early sarcopenia detection and intervention.