Research By Focus

Surgery & Recovery

The incidence of sarcopenia among hospitalized older patients: results from the Glisten study

New research is emerging on the importance of lean body mass during illness and recovery. Sacropenia has become relatively common in aging adults during hospital stays and is associated with nutritional status and the number of days of bed rest.

Sarcopenia among hospitalized patients – A cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data on the prevalence of sarcopenia among hospitalized adult patients. The authors concluded that sacropenia is frequent among hospitalized patients and a considerable portion of them were aged under ≥65 years and in non-undernourished, namely among overweight and obese.

The healthcare costs of sarcopenia in the United States.

National representative surveys were examined to determine healthcare expenditures associated with sarcopenia. Authors concluded that sarcopenia imposes significant costs and will escalate unless an effective public health campaign to reduce sarcopenia cases is implemented.

Nutrition and Nutraceuticals for Muscle Maintenance and Recovery: Hero or Hokum?

Muscle loss is a common occurrence during hospitalization, especially in the elderly, but there are a number of nutritional supplements that have been shown to help maintain or recover muscle during and after illness.

HMB may protect against muscle loss during bed rest: Abbott Nutrition

A study showed that a daily dose of 3 grams of HMB (beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate) in healthy older adults during a 10-day bed rest helped prevent declines in lean body mass.

Rebuilding Muscle Mass: Protein and HMB

Our muscles need protein to provide the nutrients necessary to rebuild, but research has also shown that the nutritional supplement HMB can aid in this process.

Bounce Back Stronger: The Secret To Speedier Recoveries

New research has shown different strategies to help aging adults recover more quickly after a hospital visit.

Financial impact of sarcopenia on hospitalization costs.

In this prospective study hospitalized adult patients with sarcopenia were assessed and hospitalization costs were calculated for each patient. The authors concluded that sarcopenia is related to hospitalization costs and is estimated to increase costs by 58.5% for patients aged <65 years and 34% for patients aged >65 years.

A Push To Get Older Adults In Better Shape For Surgery

Research suggests that enhancing seniors’ readiness for surgery can potentially lead to improved outcomes. A Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) program was implemented by Duke University Medical Center finding that adults that attended the program were less likely to return to the hospital post-op in the next 30 days and more likely to return home without need of home health care.