Prevalence and prognostic value of preexisting sarcopenia in patients with mechanical ventilation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is defined as age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and/or function in the context of aging. Mechanical ventilation (MV) is one of the most frequently used critical care technologies in critically ill patients. The prevalence of preexisting sarcopenia and the clinical impact of its prognostic value on patients with MV are unclear. This review sought to identify the prevalence and prognostic value of preexisting sarcopenia on MV patient health outcomes. METHODS: Relevant studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane library and were searched for all articles published as of December 2021. The prevalence of sarcopenia was determined using the authors' definitions from the original studies. Comparisons were made between patients who did and did not have sarcopenia for prognostic outcomes, including mortality, the number of days of MV, the length of intensive care unit stay, and the length of hospital stay. Odds ratios (ORs) and weighted mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for pooled analyses of the relationships between sarcopenia and prognostic outcomes. RESULTS: The initial search identified 1333 studies, 17 of which met the eligibility criteria for the quantitative analysis, including 3582 patients. The pooled prevalence was 43.0% (95% CI 34.0–51.0%; I(2) = 96.7%). The pooled analyses showed that sarcopenia was related to increased mortality (OR 2.13; 95% CI 1.70, 2.67; I(2) = 45.0%), longer duration of MV (MD = 1.22; 95% CI 0.39, 2.05; I(2) = 97.0%), longer days of ICU stay (MD = 1.31; 95% CI 0.43, 2.19; I(2) = 97.0%), and hospital stay (MD 2.73; 95% CI 0.58, 4.88; I(2) = 98.0%) in patients with MV. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of sarcopenia is relatively high in patients with MV, and it will have a negative impact on the prognosis of patients. However, further, large-scale, high-quality prospective cohort studies are required. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13054-022-04015-y.