LB071 - COMPARING THE USE OF SARC-F TO THE TIMED UP AND GO TEST IN EVALUATING SARCOPENIA IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 3 INTESTINAL FAILURE: A PILOT STUDY

LB071

COMPARING THE USE OF SARC-F TO THE TIMED UP AND GO TEST IN EVALUATING SARCOPENIA IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 3 INTESTINAL FAILURE: A PILOT STUDY

C. Hettige^1,*, A. Sasegbon², M. Vittoria Teso¹, A. Abraham^1,3, C. Forde¹, F. Mitchell¹, T. Francis¹, K. Farrer¹, S. Lal^1,2

¹Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Intestinal Failure Unit, Salford, ²University of Manchester, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology, ³University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

Rationale: The SARC-F (Strength, Assistance in walking, Rising from a chair, Climbing stairs, and Falls) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests are valuable tools for assessing sarcopenia. However, their effectiveness in evaluating Type 3 Intestinal Failure (T3IF) has not yet been studied. We aimed to utilise the SARC-F and TUG to improve the nutritional and functional management of patients with T3IF.

Methods: Patients with T3IF at a national IF centre underwent routine outpatient assessments including SARC-F, TUG, CFS (Clinical Frailty Scale), BIA (Bio Impedance Analysis), and anthropometry. A SARC-F score ≥4 indicated sarcopenia risk, while a TUG ≥12 seconds indicated a high risk of falls. Statistical analyses evaluated correlations and differences between measurements and patient groups. The study was approved as a service evaluation (reference: 24HIP01).

Results: A total of fifty-eight patients took part in this study conducted over 4 months. The mean age was 59 ±17.01 years, with 31 (53.44%) female participants. Thirty-three (56.8%) patients had a TUG ≥12 seconds, and 13 (22.41%) had a SARC-F ≥4. Both SARC-F and TUG were significantly correlated with CFS (rs=0.59,p=0; rs=0.61,p=0), Phase Angle (PA) (rs=-0.25,p=0.04; rs=-0.40,p=0.001) and grip strength (GS) (rs=-0.36,p=0.005;rs=-0.30,p=0.02).

Patients were categorised into high and low SARC-F (≥4 vs <4) and TUG (≥12 vs <12) groups. There were significant differences between the SARC-F groups concerning GS (p=0.02), PA (p<0.01),TUG (p<0.001) and CFS (p<0.001). There were significant differences between TUG groups for CFS (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Our study indicates that both SARC-F and TUG significantly correlate with CFS, anthropometric measures, and BIA, highlighting their applicability in assessing sarcopenia in patients with T3IF. A SARC-F cut-off value of 4 is useful for distinguishing differences in GS and PA in patients with T3IF. Higher TUG scores correlated with lower PA and GS values; forming a continuous gradient rather than exhibiting a distinct threshold at a TUG score of 12. These data suggest that both SARC-IF and TUG can be considered in the routine assessment of patients with type 3IF, with targeted approaches aimed at those at risk.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared