Research Regarding Edema
Extracellular Water to Total Body Water proportion - otherwise known as Edema Index - measured via BIA is gradually being accepted used for both prognosis and evaluation purposes. However, there may still be some questions about if results are reliable enough to be used in medical settings - we've highlighted several representative and easier-to-understand papers that help demonstrate how Edema Index is being used.
Edema as a predictive factor for mortality
Title: Monitoring Volume Status Using Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients
Parameters: Edema Index (Intracellular Water, Extracellular Water, Total Body Water)
Published: 2017
Journal: ASAIO Journal
Summary: Monitoring Body Water balance using BIA can help predict all-cause death in hemodialysis patients. Subjects who underwent fluid control (tracked using BIA) had lower risk of all-cause compared to those in the control group.
Why this is useful: The effectiveness of fluid control can be monitored by checking to see if Edema Index is normal or too high. For patients with illnesses that affect body water, Edema Index is a key measurement.
Edema is a reflection of locomotive syndrome risk and frailty
Parameters: Edema Index (Intracellular Water, Extracellular Water, Total Body Water)
Published: 2020
Journal: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
Summary: Extracellular Water (ECW) and Total Body Water (TBW) ratio (Edema Index) was significantly higher among patients with locomotive syndrome risk and frailty.
Why this is useful: This paper helps to expand the utility of Edema Index beyond well-known usages such as evaluation of fluid retention in dialysis. If Edema Index is higher than the standard cut-off point of 0.39, practitioners should consider the presence of locomotive syndrome risk and frailty.
Using the Edema Index to guide disease management provides better survival results
Title: Edema Index-guided disease management improves 6-month outcomes of patients with acute heart failure
Parameters: Edema Index (Intracellular Water, Extracellular Water, Total Body Water)
Published: 2012
Journal: International Heart Journal
Summary: Identifying patients at risk of heart failure as early as possible is an important challenge. This study tested whether integrating Edema Index-guided patient management (measured using BIA) for 6 months could improve health outcomes for heart failure patients.
Using Edema Index to guide treatment, patients enjoyed better health outcomes compared to the control group. Patients whose Edema Index was controlled to lower than the cut-off point of 0.39 before discharge had fewer health events compared to those with Edema Index above 0.39.
Why this is useful: When Edema Index is used in medical settings to guide and determine suitable treatment, outcomes were improved. Therefore, Edema Index is an important result to monitor and incorporate into medical assessment.
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