title: Body cell mass evaluation in critically ill patients: killing two birds with one stone.
abstract: Body cell mass (BCM) is the metabolically active cell mass involved in O₂ consumption, CO₂ production and energy expenditure. BCM measurement has been suggested as a tool for the evaluation of nutritional status. Since BCM is closely related to energy expenditure, it could also represent a good reference value for the calculation of nutrient needs. In a recent issue of Critical Care, Ismael and colleagues used bioelectrical impedance analysis parameters and anthropometric variables to evaluate BCM in patients with acute kidney injury, before and after a hemodialysis session. The results of this study suggest that BCM is relatively insensitive to major body fluid shifts, a well known factor interfering with nutritional evaluation/monitoring and energy need calculations in the ICU. Thus, BCM seems to be a more 'stable' nutritional variable, as it is apparently less influenced by non-nutritional factors. The results of this paper emphasize the need to identify biologically sound parameters for nutritional status evaluation and energy need calculation in critically ill patients; in this regard, BCM could fulfill these expectations.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fiaccadori
authors.forename: Santo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morabito
authors.forename: Aderville
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cabassi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Regolisti
mesh_terms: D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D018495:Fluid Shifts / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000639:trends*