Healthcare Roundup—Study says muscle mass should be a vital sign; Tennessee health system to close 2 hospitals

Just as clinicians check patients’ vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse and temperature, they should be checking muscle mass as a key factor in evaluating health status, especially if a person is living with a chronic disease, according to a new study. The review, published in Annals of Medicine, said people with less muscle had more surgical and postoperative complications, longer hospital stays, lower physical function, poorer quality of life and overall shorter survival.
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