Skeletal muscle density as a new predictor of abdominal infection in abdominal trauma patients

Background and aims

Skeletal muscle density (SMD) is a valuable prognostic indicator in various conditions such as cancer, liver cirrhosis. Yet, the connection between SMD and intra-abdominal infection in individuals who have suffered abdominal injuries is still unclear. The purpose of this research is to examine how well SMD can predict intra-abdominal infection in patients who have suffered abdominal trauma.

Methods

Participants with abdominal injuries were included in this research from January 2015 to April 2023. Based on the sex-specific cut off values of SMD, the entire population was split into two categories. Prognostic factors were identified through logistic regression analysis. ROC was used to assess the predictive accuracy of SMD and its combinations with other biomarkers for clinical outcomes.

Results

A total of 220 patients were ultimately included in the study. Patients in the group with low SMD exhibited a higher incidence of intra-abdominal infection, longer hospital stays, and increased hospital costs. In patients with abdominal trauma, low SMD was identified as a significant independent predictor of intra-abdominal infection (OR 2.397; 95 % CI 1.117–5.141, p = 0.025). Low SMD had a higher area under the curve (AUC) in ROC analysis compared to TRF, NRS2002 score, and APACHEII score for predicting intra-abdominal infection (AUC 0.70, 95 % CI 0.61–0.78, p = 0.002). Moreover, low SMD showed associations with clinical outcomes such as hospital stay length and costs (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

Low SMD is recognized as an independent risk factor for predicting intra-abdominal infections in this patient population. Notably, SMD is emerging as a novel predictor of abdominal infections in patients with abdominal trauma.