Psoas Muscle Morphology as a Sarcopenia Marker to Predict Outcomes of Geriatric Trauma Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To provide pooled evidence on the association between central sarcopenia and risk of mortality and/or complications among geriatric patients with moderate to severe trauma. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases for relevant observational studies documenting the association of central sarcopenia with the risk of mortality and/or complications in geriatric patients with moderate to severe trauma. The studies reported computerized tomography (CT) based assessments of the psoas muscle cross-sectional area. We used a random effects model for the analysis and reported effect sizes as pooled odds ratios (ORs) or hazards ratios (HRs) along with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 13 studies and found an association between the presence of psoas muscle size reduction and the risk of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.13, 1.90). In addition, we found increased risk of mortality within 24 months of follow-up in patients with sarcopenia (HR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.11-5.17). We found each unit increase in psoas muscle cross-sectional area to be significantly associated with reduced risk of mortality within 24 months of follow-up (HR, .92; 95% CI, .90-.95). Patients with sarcopenia also had an increased risk of complications (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.08-2.63). CONCLUSION: Central sarcopenia, assessed using psoas muscle morphology, among geriatric patients with moderate to severe trauma appears to be significantly associated with increased risks of mortality and complications.