Ultrasound and strain elastography in the intensive care setting for assessment of adult sarcopenia bedside

Descriptive observational cohort study.

Hospital Municipal de Derqui in Argentina, Buenos Aires, Pilar.

To assess the prevalence of malnutrition in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the Hospital Municipal de Derqui January 2023 to January 2024.

An observational cohort prospective study of consecutive patients admitted to the ICU. We carried out measurement of muscle thickness (MT) of the rectus femoris and vastus intermedius on day 3 and 10 of ICU stay as well as strain elastography ratio (SER).

A total of 21 patients completed the study. The average loss in centimeters of the rectus femoris section was 2.9 cm (16.6 cm SD 4 on day 3 vs 14.8 cm SD 5 on day 10, p 0.05). For the vastus medialis, it was 2.6 cm (13.4 cm SD 3.5 on day 3 vs 10.8 cm SD 4.7 on day 10, p 0.02). The average SER was 1.13 (CI 0.69-1.56), with a non-significant p-value of 0.53.

There is a significant loss of MT in critical patients during the first days of hospitalization as measured by ultrasound, while SER showed a trend towards increased muscle stiffness. Further research is needed to determine its usefulness in the early detection of changes in muscle quality. Ultrasonography emerges as a practical and accessible tool for monitoring muscle mass in critical patients.