title: The adductor pollicis muscle: a poor predictor of clinical outcome in ICU patients.
abstract: No nutrition assessment tools specifically tailored for intensive care unit (ICU) patients have been developed and validated in Singapore. Studies conducted in Brazilian populations suggest that the thickness of the adductor pollicis muscle (TAPM) may be used to assess nutritional status and predict mortality of critically ill patients. The aim of this study was to determine if TAPM can be used as a predictive indicator of mortality in Singapore ICU patients. TAPM values were obtained using skinfold calipers in 229 patients admitted to the medical ICU. TAPM measured in both hands showed no significant correlation with either the primary outcome (28-day mortality) or secondary outcomes (hospital outcome and hospital length of stay). This study demonstrated that TAPM does not predict 28-day mortality and hospital outcome, and is not correlated to length of stay in Singapore ICU patients. More studies are necessary to validate the use of TAPM as an anthropometric indicator of ICU outcome in other regions of the world.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leong Shu-Fen
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National University Health System, University Medicine Cluster, Singapore.
authors.forename: Venetia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ong
authors.affiliation: Alice Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Yanika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kowitlawakul
authors.affiliation: Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore.
authors.forename: Teh Ai
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, National University Health System, University Medicine Cluster, Singapore.
authors.forename: Amartya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore. Email: jeya_henry@sics.a-star.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Jeya
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D001132:Arm; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012846:Singapore; D012885:Skinfold Thickness