Assessment of quadriceps muscle mass by ultrasound in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery.

Background: Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are exposed to many factors that activate catabolic and inflammatory pathways, which affect skeletal muscle and are, therefore, related to unfavorable hospital outcomes. Given the limited information on the behavior of muscle mass in critically ill patients, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact on quantitative and qualitative measurements of quadriceps muscle mass using ultrasound after cardiac surgery. To accomplish this, a prospective, descriptive, and correlational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital.