{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,27]],"date-time":"2025-12-27T05:22:32Z","timestamp":1766812952979,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]],"date-time":"2025-12-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766620800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Early risk assessment of nutritional and muscular status in geriatric palliative care patients may facilitate timely, personalized care. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the CONUT score, ultrasound-assessed muscle mass, and short-term mortality at 30, 45, and 60 days. Methods: This prospective, single-center study was conducted in a tertiary palliative care unit between May and September 2024. Muscle mass was assessed via ultrasound by measuring the thickness and cross-sectional area of the rectus femoris and biceps brachii. Nutritional status was evaluated using the CONUT score (low: \u22644, high: \u22655). Mortality at 30, 45, and 60 days was analyzed using Kaplan\u2013Meier curves, Cox regression, and ROC analysis. Results: In a cohort of 200 geriatric palliative care patients (mean age 78.4 \u00b1 10.2 years; 54.5% female), those with higher CONUT scores (\u22655) had significantly lower ultrasound-assessed muscle mass and higher short-term mortality rates (48.6% vs. 11.3%, p &lt; 0.001). A CONUT score \u2265 5 and the presence of malignancy independently predicted mortality, with hazard ratios up to 3.72. The CONUT score demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy for short-term mortality, highest at 60 days (AUC = 0.736). Kaplan\u2013Meier analysis revealed significantly reduced survival among patients with higher CONUT scores. Conclusions: A CONUT score \u2265 5 and malignancy independently predicted short-term mortality, and higher CONUT scores were associated with lower muscle mass. The CONUT score may be a useful tool for early risk assessment in geriatric palliative care, though further research is warranted.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15010171","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]],"date-time":"2025-12-25T23:52:27Z","timestamp":1766706747000},"page":"171","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Association of CONUT Score with Ultrasound-Measured Muscle Mass and 30-, 45-, and 60-Day Mortality in Geriatric Palliative Care Patients: A Prospective Observational Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0396-7802","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ayfer","family":"Durak","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of \u0130nternal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Sancaktepe \u015eehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital, 34785 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"},{"name":"Department of \u0130nternal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Amasya University Sabuncuo\u011flu \u015eerefeddin Training and Research Hospital, 05100 Amasya, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9763-4370","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Umut","family":"Safer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of \u0130nternal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Sancaktepe \u015eehit Prof. Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital, 34785 Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"754","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpainsymman.2020.04.027","article-title":"Redefining Palliative Care\u2014A New Consensus-Based Definition","volume":"60","author":"Radbruch","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. 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