Bioelectric Impedance Body Composition and Phase Angle in relation to 90-day adverse outcome in hospitalized COVID-19 ward and ICU patients: the prospective BIAC-19 study

Summary Background & Aims Gaining insight into readily obtainable baseline characteristics that allow prediction of adverse outcome in COVID-19 aids both treatment and healthcare planning. Bioelectric impedance (BIA) Phase Angle (PhA) is correlated with outcome in a multitude of diseases and may be of added value in predicting adverse outcome of COVID-19. We aimed to associate baseline body composition parameters with 90-day adverse outcome of COVID-19 including ICU-admission and to explore the added predictive value of baseline PhA. Methods We performed a prospective observational study, conducting BIA amongst COVID-19 patients within 24 hours of hospital admission, with a follow-up of 90 days. Data were compared between ward-only and ICU-patients. Regression models were used to assess the associations between baseline characteristics, body composition and 90-day adverse outcome, including a composite outcome score of morbidity, ICU-admission, and mortality. An ROC-curve was used to explore the added predictive value of PhA to other clinical parameters at baseline for the prediction of adverse outcome. Results One-hundred-and-fifty patients were included. Mean age was 68 (66-70) years, 67% were male. Forty-one (27%) patients were admitted to ICU and 77 (51%) met the criteria of the composite outcome score. In multiple regression, PhA was independently, inversely correlated with risk of ICU-admission (OR .531, p=.021), complications (OR .579, p=.031), hospital length of stay (OR .875, p=.037) and the composite outcome score (OR .502, p=.012). An ROC-curve showed that the incorporation of PhA in a composite risk-score improved the discriminative power for the composite outcome from poor to fair, compared to individual predictors (AUC 0.79 (95% CI 0.71-0.87). Conclusion BIA measurements including Phase Angle are independently correlated with an adverse outcome of COVID-19. Interpretation of Phase Angle can be a valuable addition to risk assessment of adverse outcome of COVID-19 at hospital admission. Clinical Trial Registration Netherlands Trial Register number NL8562, registered 2020-04-21.