Qualitative Ultrasound in Acute Critical Illness Muscle Wasting (original) (raw)

The Musculoskeletal Ultrasound In Critical Care: Longitudinal Evaluation (UK-MUSCLE) Study: Severity Of Acute Critical Illness Determines The Degree Of Muscle Wasting

B30. MECHANISMS OF MUSCLE WEAKNESS IN CRITICAL ILLNESS: TRANSLATING BASIC SCIENCE TO THE BEDSIDE, 2012

IMPORTANCE Survivors of critical illness demonstrate skeletal muscle wasting with associated functional impairment. OBJECTIVE To perform a comprehensive prospective characterization of skeletal muscle wasting, defining the pathogenic roles of altered protein synthesis and breakdown. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Sixty-three critically ill patients (59% male; mean age: 54.7 years [95% CI, 50.0-59.6 years]) with an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score of 23.5 (95% CI, 21.9-25.2) were prospectively recruited within 24 hours following intensive care unit (ICU) admission from August 2009 to April 2011 at a university teaching and a community hospital in England. Patients were recruited if older than 18 years and were anticipated to be intubated for longer than 48 hours, to spend more than 7 days in critical care, and to survive ICU stay.

Ultrasonography in the intensive care setting can be used to detect changes in the quality and quantity of muscle and is related to muscle strength and function

Journal of Critical Care, 2015

Objectives: A rapid and early loss of skeletal muscle mass underlies the physical disability common amongst survivors of critical illness. However, skeletal muscle function depends not only on its quantity but its quality, which may be adversely affected. We set out to characterise the changes in macroscopic muscle echogenicity and fascial characteristics that occur early in critical illness, and to relate these to microscopic histologically defined myofibre necrosis and fascial pathology. Design and Setting: Prospective two center observational study. Patients: Thirty subjects comprising a subgroup of patients recruited to the Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Critical Illness: Longitudinal Evaluation (MUSCLE) study. Measurements and Main Results: Comparisons were made between sequential Vastus Lateralis histological specimens and ultrasound assessment of Rectus Femoris echogenicity. Change in muscle echogenicity was greater in patients who developed muscle necrosis (n = 15) than in those who did not (8.2% [95% CI, -5.3 to 21.7] vs -15.0% [95% CI, -28.9 to -1.09]; p = 0.016). The area under receiver operator curve for ultrasound echogenicity's prediction of myofiber necrosis was 0.74 (95% CI, 0.565 to 0.919; p = 0.024) increasing to 0.85 (95% CI, 0.703 to -0.995; p = 0.003) with the removal of those with potential iatrogenic muscle damage. Fasciitis was observed in 18 of 30 biopsies (60%). Conclusions: Myofiber necrosis and fascial inflammation can be detected noninvasively using ultrasound in the critically ill. Fasciitis precedes and frequently accompanies muscle necrosis. These findings may have functional implications for survivors of critical illness. (Crit Care Med 2015; XX:00-00)

Muscle wasting in intensive care patients: Ultrasound observation of the M. quadriceps femoris muscle layer

Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2008

Patients in intensive care exhibit a high degree of loss of muscle mass. Appropriate instruments are needed to document muscle wasting in these patients. The aim of this pilot study was to describe muscle wasting in patients in the intensive care unit. Design: Twofold study setting: prospective longitudinal and cross-sectional single-blind. Patients: A total of 118 patients in the intensive care unit (length of stay 1-98 days; male:female ratio 88:30; age 55 ± 17 years) were included in a twofold study setting. Methods: Muscle layer thickness of the M. quadriceps femoris was documented using ultrasound measurement at well-defined points. Seventeen pilot-patients were measured twice; at baseline and after 28 days. In another group of 101 patients, muscle layer thickness was determined once after a random length of stay. The results of both groups were compared and correlated. Results: In both groups, M. quadriceps femoris thickness showed a significant negative correlation with length of stay in the intensive care unit (p < 0.01). Furthermore, muscle wasting in intensive care patients could be described using a logarithmic function. Conclusion: Loss of muscle mass shows a negative correlation with length of stay, and seems to be higher during the first 2-3 weeks of immobilization/intensive care unit stay. Ultrasound is a valid and practical measurement tool for documenting muscle mass (e.g. muscle layer thickness) as part of the daily routine at an intensive care unit.

Human limb skeletal muscle wasting and architectural remodeling during five to ten days intubation and ventilation in critical care – an observational study using ultrasound

BMC Anesthesiology, 2016

Background: Critically ill patients frequently suffer muscle weakness whilst in critical care. Ultrasound can reliably track loss of muscle size, but also quantifies the arrangement of the muscle fascicles, known as the muscle architecture. We sought to measure both pennation angle and fascicle length, as well as tracking changes in muscle thickness in a population of critically ill patients. Methods: On days 1, 5 and 10 after admission to critical care, muscle thickness was measured in ventilated critically ill patients using bedside ultrasound. Elbow flexor compartment, medial head of gastrocnemius and vastus lateralis muscle were investigated. In the lower limb, we determined the pennation angle to derive the fascicle length. Results: We recruited and scanned 22 patients on day 1 after admission to critical care, 16 were re-scanned on day 5 and 9 on day 10. We found no changes to the size of the elbow flexor compartment over 10 days of admission. In the gastrocnemius, there were no significant changes to muscle thickness or pennation angle over 5 or 10 days. In the vastus lateralis, we found significant losses in both muscle thickness and pennation angle on day 5, but found that fascicle length is unchanged. Loss of muscle on day 5 was related to decreases in pennation angle. In both lower limb muscles, a positive relationship was observed between the pennation angle on day 1, and the percentage of angle lost by days 5 and 10. Discussion: Muscle loss in critically ill patients preferentially affects the lower limb, possibly due to the lower limb becoming prone to disuse atrophy. Muscle architecture of the thigh changes in the first 5 days of admission, in particular, we have demonstrated a correlation between muscle thickness and pennation angle. It is hypothesised that weakness in the lower limb occurs through loss of force generation via a reduced pennation angle. Conclusion: Using ultrasound, we have been able to demonstrate that muscle thickness and architecture of vastus lateralis undergo rapid changes during the early phase of admission to a critical care environment.

Ultrasound for Non-invasive Assessment and Monitoring of Quadriceps Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Patients With Acute Kidney Injury

Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021

Background and aims: Critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) undergo major muscle wasting in the first few days of ICU stay. An important concern in this clinical setting is the lack of adequate tools for routine bedside evaluation of the skeletal muscle mass, both for the determination of nutritional status at admission, and for monitoring. In this regard, the present study aims to ascertain if ultrasound (US) is able to detect changes in quadriceps muscle thickness of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) over short periods of time.Methods: This is a prospective observational study with a follow-up at 5 days. All adult patients with AKI hospitalized at the Renal ICU of the Parma University Hospital over 12 months, with a hospital stay before ICU admission no longer than 72 h, and with a planned ICU stay of at least 5 days, were eligible for the study. An experienced investigator assessed quadriceps rectus femoris and vastus intermedius thickness (QR...

Ultrasonography: New Insights in its Applicability to Explore Muscle Mass and Musculoskeletal Inflammation in Critically ill Patients

Acta Medica Marisiensis

Objective: The main aim of the study was to explore muscle mass changes and to investigate musculoskeletal inflammation in critically ill patients. Methods: A pure observational study that comprised two musculoskeletal analyses was conducted. Ultrasonography was used to determine the inflammatory process and muscle mass modifications. We assessed the presence of musculoskeletal inflammation and muscles area reduction. We recruited 26 patients and we performed both imaging investigations (shoulder and hip joints, biceps brachii and rectus femoris areas) and anthropometric measurements (mid-upper arm circumference). Results: More than 70% of patients were classified with low muscle mass, over one half of sarcopenic patients being over-weight and 17% being obese. The relationship between the length of stay in intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation and presence of low mid-upper arm circumference, highlighted a significant difference when comparing sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic grou...

Quantitative peripheral muscle ultrasound in sepsis: Muscle area superior to thickness

Journal of critical care, 2018

The objective of this study is to describe the relationship between two quantitative muscle ultrasound measures, the rectus femoris cross-sectional area (RF-CSA) and quadriceps muscle thickness, with volitional measures of strength and function in critically ill patients with sepsis. We performed a prospective study of patients admitted to a medical ICU with sepsis and shock or respiratory failure. We examined the association of two ultrasound measurements - the RF-CSA and quadriceps muscle thickness - with strength and function at day 7. Strength was determined using the Medical Research Council Score and function using Physical Function in the ICU Test, scored. Twenty-nine patients were enrolled; 19 patients had outcome testing performed. Over 7days, RF-CSA and thickness decreased by an average of 23.2% and 17.9%, respectively. The rate of change per day of RF-CSA displayed a moderate correlation with strength (ρ 0.51, p-value 0.03) on day 7. Baseline and day 7 RF-CSA did not show...

The current use of ultrasound to measure skeletal muscle and its ability to predict clinical outcomes: a systematic review

Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle

Quantification and monitoring of lean body mass is an important component of nutrition assessment to determine nutrition status and muscle loss. The negative impact of reduced muscle mass and muscle function is increasingly evident across acute and chronic disease states but is particularly pronounced in patients with cancer. Ultrasound is emerging as a promising tool to directly measure skeletal muscle mass and quality. Unlike other ionizing imaging techniques, ultrasound can be used repeatedly at the bedside and may compliment nutritional risk assessment. This review aims to describe the current use of skeletal muscle ultrasound (SMUS) to measure muscle mass and quality in patients with acute and chronic clinical conditions and its ability to predict functional capacity, severity of malnutrition, hospital admission, and survival. Databases were searched from their inception to August 2021 for full-text articles in English. Relevant articles were included if SMUS was investigated in acute or chronic clinical contexts and correlated with a defined clinical outcome measure. Data were synthesized for narrative review due to heterogeneity between studies. This review analysed 37 studies (3100 patients), which met the inclusion criteria. Most studies (n = 22) were conducted in critical care. The clinical outcomes investigated included functional status at discharge (intensive care unit-acquired weakness), nutritional status, and length of stay. SMUS was also utilized in chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure, and chronic renal failure to predict hospital readmission and disease severity. Only two studies investigated the use of SMUS in patients with cancer. Of the 37 studies, 28 (76%) found that SMUS (crosssectional area, muscle thickness, and echointensity) showed significant associations with functional capacity, length of stay, readmission, and survival. There was significant heterogeneity in terms of ultrasound technique and outcome measurement across the included studies. This review highlights that SMUS continues to gain momentum as a potential tool for skeletal muscle assessment and predicting clinically important outcomes. Further work is required to standardize the technique in nutritionally vulnerable patients, such as those with cancer, before SMUS can be widely adopted as a bedside prognostic tool.

Reliability of skeletal muscle ultrasound in critically ill trauma patients

Revista Brasileira de Terapia Intensiva, 2019

Objective: To evaluate the safety and feasibility of the ultrasound assessment of quadriceps in the emergency setting. To assess the intra-and interrater reliability for the acquisition and analysis of ultrasound images of muscle thickness and echogenicity in critically ill trauma patients between health professionals with different levels of expertise. Methods: Diagnostic accuracy study. Two examiners (expert and novice) acquired ultrasound images from ten patients; an experienced, blinded analyst quantified the images. In a separate group of ten patients, two analysts (expert and novice) quantified quadriceps muscle thickness and echogenicity (square or trace method) from images acquired by one examiner. Results: Excellent reliability was found for image acquisition and analysis Conflicts of interest: None.