Subcutaneous fat area at the upper thigh level is a useful prognostic marker in the elderly with femur fracture

Background The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic value of body tissue composition at the upper thigh level for 1 year mortality in elderly patients with proximal femur fracture. Methods This retrospective cohort study included consecutive elderly (aged >= 65) patients diagnosed with proximal femur fracture based on the findings of pelvic bone computed tomography (CT) performed at the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital and treated with surgery between 2010 and 2017. The cross-sectional area of subcutaneous fat and skeletal muscle at the upper thigh level was measured using CT. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for 1 year mortality were estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Survival based on the SFA quartiles was assessed using nonparametric Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and compared used log-rank tests. Results Among 876 elderly patients included in this study, the median age was 79.0 years, and 646 (73.7%) patients were female. A total of 93 (10.6%) died within 1 year after admission to the emergency department. Survivors had a significantly higher median subcutaneous fat area (SFA) than non-survivors (170.2 vs. 133.0 cm(2), P < 0.001), but no significant difference was observed between the skeletal muscle area (median, 156.7 vs. 160.3 cm(2), P = 0.504) and muscle density (median, 19.0 vs. 19.1 HU, P = 0.861) of both groups. After adjustment of other clinical characteristics and body compositions, the multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that SFA (adjusted HR, 0.987; 95% CI, 0.982-0.992; P < 0.001) was independently associated with 1 year mortality. With 384 deaths during 51 322 person-months of follow-up, the median estimated survival duration of all the patients was 92.8 months (95% CI, 80.8-104.7 months). The patients with SFA in the third (165.6-195.0 cm(2)) and fourth (>195.0 cm(2)) quartiles showed significantly longer survival duration than those with SFA in the first (<131.4 cm(2); median survival time, 51.3 months) and second (131.4-165.5 cm(2); median survival time, 88.7 months) quartiles (P < 0.001 by log-rank test). Conclusions The SFAs measured at the upper thigh level and 1 year mortality are positively associated in elderly patients with proximal femur fracture. SFA may be an independent prognostic biomarker for 1 year mortality of femur fracture.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the prognostic value of body tissue composition at the upper thigh level for 1 year mortality in elderly patients with proximal femur fracture. It found that subcutaneous fat area (SFA) at the upper thigh level is positively associated with 1 year mortality, suggesting that SFA may be an independent prognostic biomarker for femur fracture mortality.