Computed tomography body composition and clinical outcomes following lung transplantation in cystic fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Low muscle mass is common in patients approaching lung transplantation and may be linked to worse post-transplant outcomes. Existing studies assessing muscle mass and post-transplant outcomes include few patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). METHODS: Between May 1993 and December 2018, 152 adults with CF received lung transplants at our institution. Of these, 83 met inclusion criteria and had usable computed tomography (CT) scans. Using Cox proportional hazards regression, we evaluated the association between pre-transplant thoracic skeletal muscle index (SMI) and our primary outcome of death after lung transplantation. Secondary outcomes, including days to post-transplant extubation and post-transplant hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, were assessed using linear regression. We also examined associations between thoracic SMI and pre-transplant pulmonary function and 6-min walk distance. RESULTS: Median thoracic SMI was 26.95 cm(2)/m(2) (IQR 23.97, 31.32) for men and 22.83 cm(2)/m(2) (IQR 21.27, 26.92) for women. There was no association between pre-transplant thoracic SMI and death after transplant (HR 1.03; 95% CI 0.95, 1.11), days to post-transplant extubation, or post-transplant hospital or ICU length of stay. There was an association between pre-transplant thoracic SMI and pre-transplant FEV1% predicted (b = 0.39; 95% CI 0.14, 0.63), with higher SMI associated with higher FEV1% predicted. CONCLUSIONS: Skeletal muscle index was low for men and women. We did not identify a significant relationship between pre-transplant thoracic SMI and post-transplant outcomes. There was an association between thoracic SMI and pre-transplant pulmonary function, confirming the potential value of sarcopenia as a marker of disease severity. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-023-02398-4.