Increased Ratio of Visceral to Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in Septic Patients Is Associated With Adverse Outcome.

Objectives: Visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue may contribute differentially to the septic inflammatory response. Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that the ratio of visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue is associated with altered sepsis outcome. Design: A retrospective analysis from a cohort of sepsis patients admitted between 2004 and 2009. Setting: A mixed medical-surgical ICU at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Patients: Patients older than 16 years old who had sepsis and underwent abdominal CT scan (n = 257) for clinical reasons. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: We measured the visceral adipose tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue areas and calculated the visceral adipose tissue-to-subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio. Visceral adipose tissue/subcutaneous adipose tissue was not correlated with body mass index (r2 = -0.015, p = NS) and therefore provides additional unique information independent of body mass index. Sepsis patients with higher visceral adipose tissue/subcutaneous adipose tissue had greater 90-day mortality than patients with lower visceral adipose tissue/subcutaneous adipose tissue (log-rank test, linear-by linear association p

http://ift.tt/2aKyaUO