JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition
-
JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr · Feb 2017
Multicenter StudyValidation of Bedside Ultrasound of Muscle Layer Thickness of the Quadriceps in the Critically Ill Patient (VALIDUM Study).
In critically ill patients, muscle atrophy is associated with long-term disability and mortality. Bedside ultrasound may quantify muscle mass, but it has not been validated in the intensive care unit (ICU). Here, we compared ultrasound-based quadriceps muscle layer thickness (QMLT) with precise quantifications of computed tomography (CT)-based muscle cross-sectional area (CSA). ⋯ Our results suggest that QMLT alone with our current protocol may not accurately identify patients with low muscle mass.