Predictive value of preoperative handgrip strength on postoperative outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the predictive value of preoperative handgrip strength on postoperative outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. Methods Databases including Cochrane Library, Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and CINAHL Complete were searched for articles published from the establishment of database until August 7, 2021. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality. Results Eight studies were included, involving five prospective and three retrospective cohort studies with 2291 participants. The prevalence of preoperative low handgrip strength ranged from 11.8 to 62.7%. Preoperative low handgrip strength was associated with an increased risk of total complications (OR = 2.23, 95%CI = 1.43-3.50), pneumonia (OR = 5.16, 95%CI = 3.17-8.38), ileus (OR = 2.48, 95%CI = 1.09-5.65), and short-term mortality (OR = 7.28, 95%CI = 1.90-27.92). Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that preoperative HGS had important value to predict certain adverse postoperative outcomes among patients with GI tumors. Low handgrip strength criteria, definition of total complications, and country are the potential sources of heterogeneity, and more research are required to test and update these results.

Automated summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the predictive value of preoperative handgrip strength on postoperative outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal tumors. The results showed that preoperative low handgrip strength was associated with an increased risk of total complications, pneumonia, ileus, and short-term mortality.