Sato R, Okada K, Akiyama E, et al. - The results showed that low appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI) with high visceral to subcutaneous (V/S) fat ratio, or so-called sarcopenic obesity, was correlated with poor prognosis after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), especially in younger-age patients. The data indicated that combined evaluation of skeletal muscle with abdominal fat distribution may help stratify the risk among patients with STEMI, rather than each component alone.

• Researchers analyzed ASMI and V/S fat ratio using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and abdominal computed tomography in 303 patients with STEMI.

• The primary endpoint occurred in 67 patients during a median follow-up of 3.9 years. A significantly lower event-free survival rate was found in patients with sarcopenic obesity (SO) pattern compared with those without (p=0.006 by log-rank).

• Remarkably, this trend was particularly prominent in the younger age group (p <0.001), but not significant in the older age group (p=0.38) when stratified by median age (67 years).

• The multivariate analysis demonstrated that patients with SO pattern had a 2.97 (1.10–7.53) fold higher risk for primary endpoints compared with those without in the younger age group.