P717 - MUSCLE ULTRASONOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS PREDICT PROLONGED HOSPITAL STAY IN OLDER ADULTS: A MULTICENTER STUDY

P717

MUSCLE ULTRASONOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS PREDICT PROLONGED HOSPITAL STAY IN OLDER ADULTS: A MULTICENTER STUDY

S. Ozkok¹, D. Erbas Sacar¹, S. Bastijns², A.-M. De Cock², M. Vandewoude², O. Deniz^3,*, M. Halil³, M. A. Karan¹, S. Perkisas², G. Bahat¹

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Türkiye, ²University Center of Geriatrics, University Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium, ³Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Türkiye

Rationale: Sarcopenia contributes to prolonged hospital stays in older adults. Muscle ultrasonography (USG) is a bedside tool to assess muscle quantity and quality. This study aimed to identify USG parameters that predict prolonged stay in hospitalized older adults.

Methods: This prospective multicenter study was conducted in three European university hospitals. Patients ≥65 years admitted to geriatrics clinics were included. Frailty, undernutrition, and sarcopenia were evaluated using validated tools. USG of rectus femoris and vastus lateralis was performed within 48h of admission and repeated on days 8, 15, and 22. Muscle thickness, cross-sectional area, pennation angle (PA), and stiffness were measured. Prolonged stay was defined as the top third of hospital length. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression analyses were used.

Results: A total of 114 patients (59.6% female, median age 82) were included. Median hospital stay was 11 days (IQR: 9–17). Infections, especially respiratory, were the main admission cause (68.3%). High rates of frailty and undernutrition were observed. No significant changes were seen in USG measures over time. At admission, vastus lateralis PA and thickness predicted prolonged stay (>15 days) [OR=1.37 (1.06–1.79), p=0.023; OR=0.79 (0.63–0.99), p=0.037].

Conclusion: Vastus lateralis pennation angle and muscle thickness at admission are useful ultrasonographic markers to predict prolonged hospital stay in older adults. These findings highlight the clinical potential of muscle ultrasound as a non-invasive, bedside tool to aid early risk stratification. Integrating such measurements into routine geriatric assessment may help optimize personalize care, and reduce complications associated with prolonged hospitalization. Future large-scale longitudinal studies are warranted to establish standardized protocols.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared