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Aims: SARC-F ≥ 4 points are used for detecting sarcopenia; however, finding a lower SARC-F cut-off value may lead to early detection of sarcopenia. We investigated the SARC-F score with the highest sensitivity and specificity values to identify sarcopenia in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Motor performances were also examined for each SARC-F score., Methods and Results: This retrospective cross-sectional study examined the sensitivity and specificity of every 1-point increase in the SARC-F score to predict sarcopenia. Eligible participants included patients with CVD (≥65 years old) who were admitted for acute CVD treatment and participated in cardiac rehabilitation. Patients completed the SARC-F questionnaire and the sarcopenia assessment. Area under the curves (AUCs) were investigated for the ability to predict sarcopenia. Multivariable linear regression was used to compare the mean value of physical functions (e.g. walking speed, leg strength, and 6 min walking distance) of each SARC-F score. A total of 1066 participants (63.8% male; median age: 76 years) were included. Sarcopenia was present in 401 patients. A SARC-F cut-off ≥2 presented the optimal balance between sensitivity (68.3%) and specificity (55.6%) to detect sarcopenia (AUCs = 0.658; 95% confidence interval: 0.625-0.691). When the patients had low scores (1-3), every 1 point increase in the SARC-F score was associated with lower physical functions such as lower muscle strength and shorter walking distance (all P < 0.001)., Conclusion: A SARC-F cut-off ≥2 was optimal for screening sarcopenia, and even a low SARC-F score is useful in detecting sarcopenia and low physical function at an early stage in patients with CVD., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article. Although M.Y. has no conflict of interest related to the conduct of this study, he holds company stock (<5% of the total) and receives a salary as one of the directors of an employer., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Both cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) cause skeletal muscle mass loss, thereby increasing the likelihood of a poor prognosis. We investigated the association between cancer history and physical function and their combined association with prognosis in patients with CVD. We retrospectively reviewed 3,796 patients with CVD (median age: 70 years; interquartile range [IQR]: 61-77 years) who had undergone physical function tests (gait speed and 6-minute walk distance [6MWD]) at discharge. We performed multiple linear regression analyses to assess potential associations between cancer history and physical function. Moreover, Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate prognostic associations in four groups of patients categorized by the absence or presence of cancer history and of high or low physical function. Multiple regression analyses showed that cancer history was significantly and independently associated with a lower gait speed and 6MWD performance. A total of 610 deaths occurred during the follow-up period (median: 3.1 years; IQR: 1.4-5.4 years). The coexistence of low physical function and cancer history in patients with CVD was associated with a significantly higher mortality risk, even after adjusting for covariates (cancer history/low gait speed, hazard ratio [HR]: 1.93, P < 0.001; and cancer history/low 6MWD, HR: 1.61, P = 0.002). Cancer history is associated with low physical function in patients with CVD, and the combination of both factors is associated with a poor prognosis., (© 2024. Springer Nature Japan KK, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: The progression of atherosclerosis and decline in physical function are poor prognostic factors in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a widely used indicator of the degree of progression of atherosclerosis, which may be used to identify patients with CVD who are at risk of poor physical function. This study examined the association between ABI and poor physical function in patients with CVD., Methods: We reviewed the data of patients with CVD who completed the ABI assessment and physical function tests (6-min walking distance, gait speed, quadriceps isometric strength, and short physical performance battery). Patients were divided into five categories according to the level of ABI, and the association between ABI and poor physical function was examined using multiple logistic regression analysis. Additionally, restricted cubic splines were used to examine the nonlinear association between ABI and physical function., Results: A total of 2982 patients (median [interquartile range] age: 71[62-78] years, 65.8% males) were included in this study. Using an ABI range of 1.11-1.20 as a reference, logistic regression analysis showed that ABI ≤ 1.10 was associated with poor physical function. The restricted cubic spline analysis showed that all physical functions increased with an increase in ABI level. The increase in physical function plateaued at an ABI level of approximately 1.1., Conclusions: ABI may be used to identify patients with poor physical function. ABI levels below 1.1 are potentially associated with poor physical function in patients with CVD.

Background: The effectiveness of acute-phase cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) in intensive care settings remains unclear in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to investigate the trends and outcomes of acute-phase CR in the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with CVD, including in-hospital and long-term clinical outcomes., Method: This retrospective cohort study reviewed a total of 1,948 consecutive patients who were admitted to a tertiary academic ICU for CVD treatment and underwent CR during hospitalisation. The endpoints of this study were the following: in-hospital outcomes: probabilities of walking independence and returning home; and long-term outcomes: clinical events 5 years following hospital discharge, including all-cause readmission or cardiovascular events. It evaluated the associations of CR implementation during ICU treatment (ICU-CR) with in-hospital and long-term outcomes using propensity score-matched analysis., Results: Among the participants, 1,092 received ICU-CR, the rate of which tended to increase with year trend (p for trend <0.001). After propensity score matching, 758 patients were included for analysis (pairs of n=379 ICU-CR and non-ICU-CR). ICU-CR was significantly associated with higher probabilities of walking independence (rate ratio, 2.04; 95% CI 1.77-2.36) and returning home (rate ratio, 1.22; 95% CI 1.05-1.41). These associations were consistently observed in subgroups aged >65 years, after surgery, emergency, and prolonged ICU stay. ICU-CR showed significantly lower incidences of all-cause (HR 0.71; 95% CI 0.56-0.89) and cardiovascular events (HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.50-0.95) than non-ICU-CR., Conclusions: The implementation of acute-phase CR in ICU increased with year trend, and is considered beneficial to improving in-hospital and long-term outcomes in patients with CVD and various subgroups., (Copyright © 2023 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background and Purpose: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a new target for reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and incident cardiovascular disease, including stroke. However, the clinical relevance of circulating PCSK9 levels has been poorly elucidated in the general population, particularly in association with subclinical cerebrovascular disease including cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and intracranial artery stenosis (ICAS)., Methods: In community-dwelling Japanese men (n = 526) aged 46-82 years without a history of cardiovascular disease, the associations of serum PCSK9 levels with the prevalence of CSVD and ICAS were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. CSVD included lacunar infarction, deep and subcortical white matter hyperintensity, periventricular hyperintensity and cerebral microbleeds., Results: The median (interquartile range) age at baseline and serum PCSK9 levels were 69 (63-74) years and 240 (205-291) ng/ml, respectively. After adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, multivariable Poisson regression with robust error variance revealed a significant association between PCSK9 levels (per 1 SD) and ICAS (relative risks 1.18, 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.37). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression for ICAS, with stenosis graded as mild (<50%) or moderate-severe (≥50%), revealed a similar association (common odds ratio 1.31, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.64). However, no significant association was observed between serum PCSK9 levels and CSVD., Conclusions: Higher circulating PCSK9 levels were independently associated with an ICAS prevalence but not with CSVD prevalence. The quantification of circulating PCSK9 levels may help to identify individuals at high risk for cerebrovascular disease in the general population., (© 2023 European Academy of Neurology.)

Objectives: We investigated whether SARC-F scores were associated with motor function, quality of life (QOL) related to physical function, and prognosis in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognitive impairment., Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional cohort study. The study population consisted of 408 patients with CVD (≥60 years old) who completed the SARC-F questionnaire and Mini-Cog, a cognitive function test, at discharge. Sarcopenia was defined as a total SARC-F score ≥ 4 points. Patients who were cognitively-preserved (Mini-Cog score ≥ 3 points) were excluded. Patients completed the handgrip strength, leg strength, usual gait speed, 6-minute walking distance, short physical performance battery score, and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey Physical Functioning (SF-36PF) tests before discharge. Associations of SARC-F with physical function, QOL, and prognoses (i.e., composite of all-cause death and emergency CVD rehospitalization and the number of CVD rehospitalizations) were investigated., Results: Sarcopenia (SARC-F score ≥ 4 points) was associated with poorer motor function test outcomes and SF-36PF scores (all P < 0.001). The correlations remained significant after adjusting for comorbidities (e.g., anemia, prior heart failure, and renal dysfunction). Sarcopenia was also associated with a poorer prognosis (hazard ratio: 1.574; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.011-2.445) and an increased risk of CVD rehospitalization (incidence rate ratio: 1.911; 95 % CI, 1.312-2.782) after adjusting for comorbidities., Conclusions and Implications: In older patients with CVD and cognitive impairment, the SARC-F questionnaire may be a simple and inexpensive tool for identifying patients with decreased motor function and a poor prognosis., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest directly relevant to the content of this article. Although Mr. Yamashita has no conflict of interest related to the conduct of this study, he holds company stock (less than 5% of the total) and receives a salary as one of the directors of an employer., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare the Fried criteria for frailty diagnosis with the Frailty Screening Index (FSI) and the fatigue, resistance, ambulation, illness, and loss of weight (FRAIL) scale in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD)., Design: We conducted a retrospective 1-year follow-up cohort study of adult inpatients who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program between June 2016 and September 2018., Setting and Participants: We included 1472 Japanese patients age 65 years and older with CVD. After excluding 765 patients with incomplete frailty measurements, 707 patients were included in the analysis., Methods: Frailty and physical function were measured before hospital discharge according to each of the 3 definitions. Outcomes were all-cause mortality and physical dysfunction., Results: The prevalence of frailty according to the Fried criteria, the FRAIL scale, and the FSI was 213 (30.1%), 181 (25.6%), and 186 (26.3%), respectively. The FSI and the FRAIL scale showed moderate agreement with the Fried criteria [vs FSI: K = 0.52, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45-0.59; vs FRAIL scale: K = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.37-0.52; all P < .001]. We found a significant correlation between all-cause mortality and frailty assessed by all of the definitions, even after multivariate adjustment [FSI: hazard ratio (HR): 2.43, 95% CI: 1.30-4.58, P = .006; FRAIL scale: HR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.21-4.45, P = .011; Fried criteria: HR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.04-3.82, P = .038). However, the prediction accuracy of the FRAIL scale was higher than that of the FSI and comparable to that of the Fried criteria for physical dysfunction., Conclusions and Implications: The FSI and the FRAIL scale showed moderate agreement with the Fried criteria regarding frailty diagnostic performance and had comparable prognostic value. However, only the FRAIL scale was as accurate as the Fried criteria in screening for physical dysfunction., (Copyright © 2022 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Although the developmental mechanism of respiratory muscle weakness (RMW) and frailty are partly similar in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), their relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between RMW and frailty and its impact on clinical outcomes in patients with CVD., Methods and Results: In this retrospective observational study, consecutive 1217 patients who were hospitalized for CVD treatment were enrolled. We assessed frailty status by using the Fried criteria and respiratory muscle strength by measuring the maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax) at hospital discharge, with RMW defined as PImax <70% of the predicted value. The endpoint was a composite of all-cause death and/or readmission for heart failure. We examined the prevalence of RMW and frailty and their correlation. The relationships of RMW with the endpoint for each presence or absence of frailty were also investigated. Respiratory muscle weakness and frailty were observed in 456 (37.5%) and 295 (24.2%) patients, respectively, and 149 (12.2%) patients had both statuses. Frailty was detected as a significant indicator of RMW [odds ratio: 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39-2.44]. Composite events occurred in 282 patients (23.2%). Respiratory muscle weakness was independently associated with an increased incidence of events in patients with both non-frailty [hazard ratio (HR): 1.40, 95% CI: 1.04-1.88] and frailty (HR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.07-2.63)., Conclusions: This is the first to demonstrate a correlation between RMW and frailty in patients with CVD, with 12.2% of patients showing overlap. RMW was significantly associated with an increased risk of poor outcomes in patients with CVD and frailty., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none declared., (Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author(s) 2022. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Usual gait speed is a prognostic factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients; however, given the aging population, there has been an increase in patients with CVD with slow usual gait speed. Even among patients with slow usual gait speed, some can walk with sufficient speed during maximal gait, while others cannot. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between maximal gait speed and prognosis, and the utility of evaluating maximal gait speed in conjunction with usual gait speed in risk stratification of prognosis in patients with CVD., Methods: We included 2951 CVD patients who underwent evaluation of both usual and maximal gait speeds. They were classified into the usual (+) group [usual gait speed ≥1.0 m/s], usual (-) and maximal (+) group [usual gait speed <1.0 m/s and maximal gait speed ≥1.0 m/s], and usual (-) and maximal (-) group [usual gait speed <1.0 m/s and maximal gait speed <1.0 m/s]., Results: Slower maximal gait speed was significantly associated with higher mortality in CVD patients. This association was consistent across various subgroups. Maximal gait speed provided additional prognostic information to that of pre-existing prognostic factors and usual gait speed (P = 0.048). The usual (-) and maximal (-) group showed higher mortality (hazard ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence interval: 1.18-2.27; P = 0.003) than the usual (-) and maximal (+) group. There was no significant difference in mortality between the usual (+) group and the usual (-) and maximal (+) group., Conclusions: Maximal gait speed was an independent prognostic predictor for CVD patients. Evaluating maximal gait speed in conjunction with usual gait speed was useful for further risk stratification of prognosis in CVD patients., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Difficulty in activities of daily living (ADL) is common in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is associated with mortality., Objectives: The relationship between gait speed/6-minute walking distance (6MWD) and difficulties in ADL in patients with CVD was explored., Methods: The study population consisted of 447 patients with CVD for whom data on gait speed, 6MWD, and difficulty in ADL during outpatient rehabilitation were available. Relationships of gait speed/6MWD and difficulty in ADL were examined using propensity-adjusted logistic regression analysis., Results: Both gait speed and 6MWD were significantly related to difficulty in ADL, and the areas under the curves were large. The cutoff values ranged from 0.93 to 1.30 m/s for gait speed and 370 to 500 m for 6MWD, from basic ADL to vigorous activities., Conclusions: Both gait speed and 6MWD were used for the estimation of difficulty in ADL in patients with CVD. Gait speed can be measured easily and therefore could be incorporated in busy clinical practice to identify patients at risk for functional decline., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although oxygen uptake (VO 2 ) during exercise stress is a surrogate marker for prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the stress test is sometimes difficult to perform owing to patient conditions, such as ageing or comorbidities. We investigated the relationships between VO 2 during usual gait with physical function and prognosis in patients with CVD., Methods: This single-centre observational study enrolled consecutive patients who were hospitalized for CVD treatment. Isometric quadriceps strength (QS) and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) as physical functions, and VO 2 during usual gait speed were measured at hospital discharge. We assessed the changes in VO 2 per body weight between at rest and during gait divided by gait speed (VO 2 /kg/gait) and analysed the relationships of VO 2 /kg/gait with physical functions and composite incidences of all-cause death or unplanned readmission after discharge., Results: In 367 patients (age, 65 ± 13 years; females, 34%), 112 clinical events occurred. VO 2 /kg/gait showed significant negative correlations to QS (β = -0.114, p = 0.024) and 6MWD (β = -0.163, p < 0.001) after adjusting for confounding factors. High VO 2 /kg/gait was significantly associated with a high rate of clinical events (hazard ratio for 1 standard deviation of VO 2 /kg/gait, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.11-1.66). This association was also observed in subgroups of older age and frailty., Conclusions: High VO 2 during usual gait was a relevant factor for low physical function and poor prognosis in patients with CVD and even in older age and frailty, meaning that VO 2 during usual gait might be a novel and useful marker in clinical practice., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dynapenia, defined as age-associated loss of skeletal muscle strength, is associated with increased mortality rate, poor activities of daily living, and reduced quality of life. Therefore, dynapenia appears to be a better independent predictor of mortality than sarcopenia in the elderly. However, the prognostic utility of dynapenia in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not clear. This study was performed to examine the prognostic utility of dynapenia defined by the criteria of Manini et al. in patients with CVD., Methods: The findings of 4192 consecutive patients ≥30 years old (median [interquartile range (IQR)] age 69 [60-76] years, 2874 males) with CVD were reviewed. Grip strength and quadriceps isometric strength (QIS) were measured just before hospital discharge, and low grip strength (<26 kg in males and <18 kg in females), low QIS (<45.0% body mass [BM] and <35.0% BM in males and females, respectively) were considered to indicate dynapenia. The endpoint was all-cause mortality., Results: A total of 507 deaths occurred during follow-up (median 2.0 years, IQR 0.8-4.4 years). The overall prevalence of dynapenia was 33.6% and increased with age (p for trend < 0.01). Females showed a significantly higher prevalence rate of dynapenia than males (43.3% vs. 29.2%, respectively; p < 0.01). Patients with dynapenia showed higher all-cause mortality rate than non-dynapenia patients (adjusted hazard ratio: 1.84; 95% confidence interval: 1.51-2.23; p < 0.01)., Conclusions: Dynapenia has a high prevalence among patients with CVD and is associated with increased mortality rate., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) published a new international standard for defining malnutrition in 2018. The GLIM criteria were compared with the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) criteria in relation to physical function and mortality risk in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD)., Methods: A total of 921 CVD patients ≥ 20 years old (67.8 ± 13.4 years, 631 men) hospitalised for heart failure, acute coronary syndrome and other conditions were stratified according to the presence or absence of malnutrition according to the GLIM and ESPEN criteria. Physical function was assessed by measuring grip strength, 6-minute walking distance and quadriceps isometric strength before hospital discharge, and the endpoint was all-cause mortality., Results: During the median follow-up period of 2.3 years (interquartile range, 0.9-3.5 years), 194 deaths occurred in the study population. Malnutrition defined by the GLIM criteria was significantly associated with low physical function. Malnutrition defined by both the GLIM and ESPEN criteria was significantly related to all-cause mortality (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Malnutrition defined according to the GLIM criteria was a predictor of both low physical function and mortality in patients with CVD., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors declare there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.)

The simplified frailty scale is a simple frailty assessment tool modified from Fried's phenotypic frailty criteria, which is easy to administer in hospitalized patients. The applicability of the simplified frailty scale to indicate prognosis in elderly hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) was examined.This cohort study was performed in 895 admitted patients ≥ 65 years (interquartile range, 71.0-81.0, 541 men) with CVD. Patients were classified as robust, prefrail, or frail based on the five components of the simplified frailty scale: weakness, slowness, exhaustion, low activity, and weight loss. The primary endpoint was the composite outcome of all-cause mortality and unplanned readmission for CVD.Patients positive for greater numbers of frailty components showed higher risk of all-cause mortality or unplanned CVD-related readmission (P for trend < 0.001). Classification as both frail (adjusted HR: 3.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-7.21, P = 0.003) and prefrail (adjusted HR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.00-4.79, P = 0.049) independently predicted the composite endpoint compared with robust after adjusting for potential confounding factors. The inclusion of prefrail, frail, and number of components of frailty increased both continuous net reclassification improvement (0.113, P = 0.049; 0.426, P < 0.001; and 0.321, P < 0.001) and integrated discrimination improvement (0.007, P = 0.037; 0.009, P = 0.038; and 0.018, P = 0.002) for the composite endpoint.Higher scores on the simplified frailty scale were associated with increased risk of mortality or readmission in elderly patients hospitalized for CVD.

Objectives: Although skeletal muscle density (SMD) is useful for predicting mortality, the cut-off in an acute clinical setting is unclear, especially in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was performed to determine the preoperative SMD cut-off using the psoas muscle and to investigate the effect on postoperative outcomes, including sarcopaenia, in CVD patients., Methods: Preoperative psoas SMD was measured by abdominal computed tomography in CVD patients. Postoperative sarcopaenia was defined according to the criteria of the Asia Working Group for Sarcopaenia. The Youden index was used to test the predictive accuracy of survival models. The prognostic capability was evaluated using multivariable survival and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses., Results: Continuous data were available for 1068 patients (mean age 65.5 years; 63.6% male). A total of 105 (9.8%) deaths occurred during the 1.99-year median follow-up period (interquartile range 0.71-4.15). The psoas SMD cut-off estimated by the Youden index was 45 Hounsfield units with high sensitivity and moderate specificity for all-cause mortality and was consistent in various stratified analyses. After adjusting for the existing prognostic model, EuroSCORE II, preoperative and postoperative physical status, psoas SMD cut-off was predicted for mortality (hazard ratio 2.42, 95% confidence interval 1.32-4.45). The psoas SMD cut-off was also significantly associated with postoperative sarcopaenia and provided additional prognostic information to EuroSCORE II on receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (area under the curve 0.627 vs 0.678, P = 0.011)., Conclusions: Reduced psoas SMD was associated with postoperative mortality and added information prognostic for mortality to the existing prognostic model in CVD patients., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether gait speed affects the obesity paradox in older patients with cardiovascular disease., Methods: The study population consisted of 2224 patients ≥60 years old with cardiovascular disease admitted to hospital between May 1, 2006, and January 31, 2018. Body mass index (BMI) and gait speed before hospital discharge were determined, and patients were divided into two groups: slow and preserved gait speed (≤0.8 and >0.8 m/s, respectively), according to the algorithm for sarcopenia diagnosis. The slow and preserved gait speed groups were also further subdivided according to BMI: <18.5 kg/m 2 , 18.5-24.9 kg/m 2 , and BMI ≥25.0 kg/m 2 . The study endpoint was all-cause mortality., Results: The study population (male: 66.7%) had a mean age of 73.1 ± 7.6 years. Over a median follow-up period of 1.69 years (interquartile range 0.67-3.67 years), 283 patients died. Higher BMI was associated with favorable prognosis in the group with preserved gait speed but not in the group with slow gait speed after adjusting for other prognostic factors. Adding BMI to the clinical model significantly increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the group with preserved gait speed (0.744 vs 0.726, P = 0.028) but not in the group with slow gait speed (0.716 vs 0.716, P = 0.789)., Conclusions: Higher BMI was consistently associated with favorable prognosis in patients with cardiovascular disease and preserved gait speed but not in those with slow gait speed. These findings indicated that physical frailty influences the obesity paradox in older patients with cardiovascular disease., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sarcopenic obesity is a health condition involving a combination of excess adipose tissue and loss of muscle mass. Although sarcopenic obesity is known to contribute to the morbidity and mortality of chronic diseases, limited data are available in patients with cardiovascular disease. The present study was performed to examine whether sarcopenic obesity determined by preoperative computed tomography (CT) is a useful predictor of postoperative mortality in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery., Methods: We reviewed the findings in 664 consecutive cardiovascular surgery patients (mean age, 65.8±12.7 years; male, 66.6%) who underwent preoperative CT including the level of the third lumbar vertebra for clinical purposes. Psoas muscle attenuation (MA) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) were measured as metrics of sarcopenia and obesity, respectively. Sarcopenia was defined as low MA (below median), while obesity was defined as high VAT (≥103cm 2 for males and ≥69cm 2 for females). The endpoint was all-cause mortality and secondary outcomes were muscle function., Results: After adjusting for age and sex, sarcopenic obesity showed significant associations with lower grip strength and quadriceps strength, slower gait speed, and shorter 6-min walking distance compared to the normal group (p<0.05). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, sarcopenic obesity was associated with increased risk of mortality after adjusting for EuroSCORE (hazard ratio, 3.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-7.40)., Conclusions: Sarcopenic obesity is associated with poor muscle function and all-cause mortality in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery., (Copyright © 2019 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The detection of impaired physical performance in older adults with cardiovascular disease is essential for clinical management and therapeutic decision-making. There is a requirement for an assessment tool that can be used conveniently, rapidly, and securely in clinical practice for screening decreased physical performance., Objective: The present study was performed to evaluate the association of office-based physical assessments with decreased physical performance and to compare the prognostic capability of these assessments in older adults with cardiovascular disease., Methods: A total of 1,040 patients aged 75 years and older with cardiovascular disease were included in this analysis. One-leg standing time (OLST) and handgrip strength were measured as office-based physical assessment tools, and short physical performance battery (SPPB), 6-min walk distance, and usual gait speed were also measured at hospital discharge as measurements of physical performance. All-cause mortality was assessed by death registry at the hospital. We examined the association of office-based measures with physical performance and all-cause mortality., Results: The areas under the curve of OLST for SPPB < 10, 6-min walk distance < 300 m, and usual gait speed < 1.0 m/s were 0.87 (95% CI 0.83-0.91), 0.83 (95% CI 0.80-0.86), and 0.81 (95% CI 0.78-0.85), respectively. The discrimination abilities of OLST for decreased physical performance were significantly higher than those of handgrip strength. After adjusting for the effects of patient characteristics, the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality in the < 3 s group for OLST was 1.68 (95% CI 1.06-2.67, p = 0.03). Handgrip strength, however, was not significantly associated with mortality risk in these participants., Conclusion: Short OLST, in particular < 3 s, is associated with decreased physical performance and elevated mortality risk in elderly patients with cardiovascular disease. OLST can be conveniently measured in the clinician's office as a screening tool for impaired physical performance., (© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background and Aim: Arm circumference (AC) and nutritional screening tools have been shown to have prognostic capability in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed to compare the prognostic predictive capabilities of AC and nutritional screening tools in older patients with CVD., Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 949 admitted patients ≥60 years old with CVD. Patients underwent AC measurement and nutritional screening before hospital discharge. We used the controlling nutritional status index (CONUT), the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI), and the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as nutritional screening tools. The end point of the study was all-cause mortality. The mean age of the study population was 72.3 ± 7.2 years, and 68.2% of the patients were male. A total of 130 deaths occurred over a median follow-up period of 2.2 years (interquartile range, 1.1-3.8 years). After adjusting for other prognostic factors, AC (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.59; p < 0.001), CONUT (HR: 0.82; p = 0.016), GNRI (HR: 0.77; p = 0.040), and PNI (HR: 0.80; p = 0.014) were significant predictors of mortality. However, adding AC to the multivariate-adjusted model (0.739 vs. 0.714, respectively; p = 0.037), but not CONUT, GNRI, or PNI (0.724, 0.717, and 0.723 vs. 0.714; p = 0.072, p = 0.306, and p = 0.127, respectively), significantly increased the area under the curve on receiver operating characteristic curve., Conclusions: AC, but not nutritional screening tools, plays a complementary role to preexisting prognostic factors for predicting prognosis in older patients with CVD., (Copyright © 2018 The Italian Society of Diabetology, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition, and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background Although gait speed and six-minute walk distance are used to assess functional capacity in older patients with cardiovascular disease, their prognostic capabilities have not been directly compared. Methods The study population was identified from the Kitasato University Cardiac Rehabilitation Database and consisted of 1474 patients ≥60 years old with a mean age of 72.2 ± 7.1 years that underwent evaluation of both usual gait speed and six-minute walk distance in routine geriatric assessment between 1 June 2008-30 September 2015. Both gait speed and six-minute walk distance were determined on the same day at hospital discharge. Results Mean gait speed and six-minute walk distance in the whole population were 1.04 m/s and 381 m, respectively, and were strongly positively correlated ( r = 0.80, p < 0.001). A total of 180 deaths occurred during a follow-up of 2.3 ± 1.9 years. After adjusting for confounding factors, both gait speed (adjusted hazard ratio per 0.1 m/s increase: 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.81-0.93, p < 0.001) and six-minute walk distance (adjusted hazard ratio per 10-metre increase: 0.96, 95% confidence interval: 0.94-0.97, p < 0.001) were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. There was no significant difference in prognostic capability between gait speed and six-minute walk distance (c-index: 0.64 (95% confidence interval: 0.60-0.69) and 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.70), respectively, p = 0.357). Conclusions Gait speed and six-minute walk distance showed similar prognostic predictive ability for all-cause mortality in older cardiovascular disease patients, indicating the potential utility of gait speed as a simple risk stratification tool in older cardiovascular disease patients.

Background: Low skeletal muscle density, determined using computed tomography (CT), has yet to be examined in terms of muscle function and prognostic capability in patients who require open cardiovascular surgery. This study was performed to examine whether psoas muscle area and density, determined using CT, are associated with postoperative mortality in patients who undergo cardiovascular surgery., Methods: We reviewed the findings in 773 consecutive patients who underwent preoperative CT imaging, including the level of the third lumbar vertebra for clinical purposes. We measured grip strength, gait speed, and 6-minute walking distance to assess muscle function before hospital discharge. Skeletal muscle area was calculated from psoas muscle cross-sectional area (in squared centimeters) on preoperative CT images at the level of the third lumbar vertebra divided by the square of the patient's height in metres to give the skeletal muscle index (SMI). Skeletal muscle density determined by muscle attenuation (MA) was calculated by measuring the average Hounsfield units of the psoas muscle cross-sectional area., Results: The mean age of the study population was 65.0 ± 13.1 years, and 64.7% of the patients were male. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that low MA, but not SMI, was significantly associated with muscle function, and all-cause mortality (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that low MA, but not low SMI, predicted mortality (P = 0.014)., Conclusions: Low skeletal muscle density, but not skeletal muscle area, predicted poorer muscle function and mortality in patients who undergo cardiac surgery., (Copyright © 2017 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: A simple and inexpensive tool for screening of sarcopenia would be helpful for clinicians. The present study was performed to determine whether the SARC-F questionnaire is useful in screening of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) for impaired physical function., Design: Cross-sectional study., Setting: Single university hospital., Participants: A total of 235 Japanese patients ≥65 years old admitted to our hospital for CVD., Measurements: SARC-F, handgrip strength, leg strength, respiratory muscle strength, standing balance, usual gait speed, Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score, and 6-minute walking distance were measured before discharge from hospital. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to SARC-F score: SARC-F < 4 (nonsarcopenia group) and SARC-F ≥ 4 (sarcopenia group)., Results: The sarcopenia prevalence rate was 25.5% and increased with age (P trend < .001). The sarcopenia group (SARC-F score ≥ 4) had significantly lower handgrip strength, leg strength, and respiratory muscle strength, poorer standing balance, slower usual gait speed, lower SPPB score, and shorter 6-minute walking distance compared to the nonsarcopenia group (SARC-F score < 4). Patients in the sarcopenia group had consistently poorer physical function even after adjusting for covariates., Conclusion: The SARC-F questionnaire is a useful screening tool for impaired physical function in elderly CVD patients. These findings support the use of the SARC-F for screening in hospital settings., (Copyright © 2016 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Current diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia require measurement of muscle function (MF) and muscle mass. Mid upper arm circumference (AC) and calf circumference (CC) are currently used as metrics of muscle mass. This study was performed to compare the prognostic predictive capabilities of AC and CC in older patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study population consisted of 599 admitted patients aged ≥65 years (74.8 ± 6.3 years, 392 men) with CVD. We measured MF (gait speed and grip strength), AC, and CC before hospital discharge. The end point was all-cause mortality. During follow-up (median 1.63 years, interquartile range 2.09 years), 72 deaths occurred. Both high AC and high CC were associated with better outcome; however, only AC (adjusted hazard ratio per SD increase 0.56, p = 0.023), but not CC (adjusted hazard ratio per SD increase 0.91, p = 0.696), showed significant independent prognostic capability after adjusting for other prognostic factors. Moreover, adding AC to MF (0.71 vs 0.62, p = 0.005) but not CC to MF (0.67 vs 0.62, p = 0.188) significantly increased the area under the curve on receiver operating characteristic curve. In conclusion, a high AC, but not CC, was an independent predictor of survival and could be a readily available and simple metric for risk stratification in older patients with CVD., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)