Abbreviation: ADLs, activities of daily living.

Loss of muscle mass and function, or sarcopenia, is a common feature of cirrhosis and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in this population. Sarcopenia is a main indicator of adverse outcomes in this population, including poor quality of life, hepatic decompensation, mortality in patients with cirrhosis evaluated for liver transplantation (LT), longer hospital and intensive care unit stay, higher incidence of infection following LT, and higher overall health care cost. Although it is clear that muscle mass is an important predictor of LT outcomes, many questions remain, including the best modality for assessing muscle mass, the optimal cut-off values for sarcopenia, the ideal timing and frequency of muscle mass assessment, and how to best incorporate the concept of sarcopenia into clinical decision making. For these reasons, we assembled a group of experts to form the North American Working Group on Sarcopenia in Liver Transplantation to use evidence from the medical literature to address these outstanding questions regarding sarcopenia in LT. We believe sarcopenia assessment should be considered in all patients with cirrhosis evaluated for liver transplantation. Skeletal muscle index (SMI) assessed by computed tomography constitutes the best-studied technique for assessing sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis. Cut-off values for sarcopenia, defined as SMI < 50 cm 2 /m 2 in male and < 39 cm 2 /m 2 in female patients, constitute the validated definition for sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis. Conclusion: The management of sarcopenia requires a multipronged approach including nutrition, exercise, and additional pharmacological therapy as deemed necessary. Future studies should evaluate whether recovery of sarcopenia with nutritional management in combination with an exercise program is sustainable as well as how improvement in muscle mass might be associated with improvement in clinical outcomes.

Background & Aims: Frailty is associated with mortality in patients with cirrhosis. We measured frailty using 3 simple tests and calculated liver frailty index (LFI) scores for patients at multiple ambulatory centers. We investigated associations between LFI scores, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and mortality. Methods: Adults without hepatocellular carcinoma who were on the liver transplant waitlist at 9 centers in the United States (n=1044) were evaluated using the LFI; LFI scores of 4.5 or more indicated that patients were frail. We performed logistic regression analyses to assess associations between frailty and ascites or HE and competing risk regression analyses (with liver transplantation as the competing risk) to estimate subhazard ratios (sHR) of waitlist mortality (death or removal from the waitlist). Results: Of study subjects, 36% had ascites, 41% had HE, and 25% were frail. The odds of frailty were higher for patients with ascites (adjusted odd ratio, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.15-2.14) or HE (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.80-3.33) than without these features. Higher proportions of frail patients with ascites (29%) or HE (30%) died while on the waitlist compared to patients who were not frail (17% of patients with ascites and 20% with HE). In univariable analysis, ascites (sHR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.14-2.05), HE (sHR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.38-2.45), and frailty (sHR, 2.38; 95% CI, 1.77-3.20) were associated with waitlist mortality. In adjusted models, only frailty remained significantly associated with waitlist mortality (sHR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.31-2.52)-ascites and HE were not. Conclusions: Frailty is a prevalent complication of cirrhosis that is observed more frequently in patients with ascites or HE and independently associated with waitlist mortality. LFI scores can be Lai et al.

BackgroundSarcopenia, characterized by low muscle mass, associates with mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Skeletal muscle area in a single computed tomography image at the level of the third lumbar vertebrate (L3) is a valid representative of whole body muscle mass. Controversy remains regarding applicability of psoas muscle to identify patients at greater risk of mortality. We aimed to determine psoas muscle index (PMI) association with skeletal muscle index (SMI) and to evaluate the capacity of PMI to predict liver transplant waitlist mortality.MethodsWe evaluated listed adult patients with cirrhosis from 2012 to 2013 at four North American liver transplant centres. From L3 computed tomography images within 3 months of listing, we determined SMI and PMI expressed by cm2/m2. Low SMI was defined as SMI <39 cm2/m2 in women and <50 cm2/m2 in men as published by us earlier. Cut‐offs for PMI to predict mortality were established using a receiver‐operating characteristic analysis. Mortality predictors were determined using competing‐risk analysis with reported results as subdistribution hazard ratios (sHRs).ResultsOf 353 waitlist candidates, 68% were men, mean age 56 ± 9 years, and Model for End‐stage Liver Disease of 16 ± 8 points. Low SMI was present more frequently in men than women (51 vs. 36%, P = 0.02). Moderately strong correlation between SMI and PMI was observed (r > 0.7, P < 0.001). Low PMI (males < 5.1 cm2/m2; females < 4.3 cm2/m2) yielded poor and moderate concordance with low SMI in men and women, respectively (Kappa coefficient 0.31 and 0.63). SMI (39 ± 9 vs. 43 ± 7 cm2/m2; P = 0.009) and PMI (4.4 ± 1.3 vs. 5.2 ± 1.1 cm2/m2; P = 0.001) were lower in women who died and/or were delisted (compared with non‐deceased patients) whereas men who died and/or were delisted had only lower SMI (47 ± 7 vs. 51 ± 9 cm2/m2; P = 0.003), but not PMI compared with non‐deceased patients. In women, both SMI (sHR 0.94, P = 0.048) and PMI (sHR 0.58, P = 0.002) were predictors of mortality, while in men, SMI was significant (sHR 0.95, P = 0.001) and PMI showed a trend to be (sHR 0.85, P = 0.09) associated with mortality. Overall, 104 patients (29%) were misclassified between SMI and PMI categories. Using PMI cut‐offs, 66% and 28% of low SMI men and women, who have a higher risk of mortality, were incorrectly classified as low risk.ConclusionsSkeletal muscle index is a more complete and robust measurement than PMI, especially in men with cirrhosis. Low PMI identifies an incomplete subset of patients at increased risk of mortality indicated by low SMI. Given the poor performance of PMI, SMI should not be substituted by PMI.

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