PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - SUOJANEN, JUHO
AU  - KAINULAINEN, SATU
AU  - TARVAINEN, LAURA
AU  - TORNWALL, JYRKI
AU  - WILKMAN, TOMMY
TI  - Handgrip Strength Predicts Poorly the Surgical Outcome or Length of Hospitalization in Patients With Surgically Operated Oral Cancer
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.15756
DP  - 2022 May 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 2771--2774
VI  - 42
IP  - 5
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/5/2771.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/42/5/2771.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2022 May 01; 42
AB  - Background/Aim: Handgrip strength has been used to evaluate the potential of elderly patients to survive different medical conditions or procedures, or to predict the nutritional status and length of hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of handgrip strength as a predictor of the length of hospitalization and need for prolonged intensive care in patients with oral malignancies requiring surgical resection and simultaneous primary reconstruction with microvascular free flap. Patients and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 37 head and neck carcinoma patients operated between 2012 and 2014 who had undergone a handgrip force test. The microvascular free flaps used were: radial forearm flap (n=23), anterolateral thigh flap (n=10), and iliac crest free flap (n=4). Results: Average stay at the hospital was 13.3 days after the operation and there was a 2.9-days need for intensive care. Handgrip strength did not predict susceptibility to complications, duration of hospitalization, or 12-month survival in the study population. Conclusion: Other anamnestic and medical factors and not handgrip strength should be considered when evaluating operability of the patient or their individual risks for microvascular reconstruction.