Automated Thoracic Body Composition Analysis on Computed Tomography Is Associated With Ventilator Liberation in Acute Respiratory Failure

The study examined whether thoracic tissue composition measured by computed tomography is associated with successful weaning from mechanical ventilation in acute respiratory failure. The research included 238 patients with a median age of 59.5 years who required ventilator support. Results showed that a higher muscle-to-fat ratio was independently associated with faster ventilator liberation. Skeletal muscle mass demonstrated a non-linear relationship with time to liberation, with delayed liberation at both very low and high values. Higher subcutaneous fat mass was associated with increased 60-day mortality. Body mass index (BMI) was not significantly associated with outcomes. Automated thoracic body composition analysis provides prognostic information that BMI alone does not capture.