A prospective study of hand grip strength and cardiovascular outcomes in a cardiovascular intensive care unit

Background Handgrip strength (HGS) is a marker of frailty that is associated with major adverse cardiovascular outcomes. The relationship between HGS and outcomes in a cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) setting has not been previously studied. Methods We measured handgrip strength upon admission to the CVICU among 330 consecutive adult patients. Subsequent clinical outcomes of interest included readmission to the CVICU, CVICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), 30-day hospital readmission, and in-hospital mortality. Mean values were compared using the student t-test and Pearson's r was used to test bivariate correlation. Results 330 patients underwent HGS assessment. HGS was significantly inversely correlated with hospital LOS (r = −0.165, P = 0.003) and mean LOS was 3 days longer among the lowest quartile (HGS