Body composition (sarcopenia) in obese patients: implications for care in the intensive care unit.

The study of body composition is a rapidly evolving science. In today's environment, there is a great deal of interest in assessing body composition, especially in the obese subject, as a guide to clinical and nutrition interventions. There are some strikingly different compartments of body composition between the obese and the lean patient. We do have the ability to measure body composition accurately, although these techniques can be labor intensive and expensive. The recognition of patients with sarcopenic obesity has identified a potential high-risk patient population. These body composition abnormalities may have even greater importance in the intensive care patient.