Obesity is associated with poor prognosis in cardiogenic arrest survivors receiving coronary angiography

The role of body mass index (BMI) in clinical outcomes in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest (CA) has recently drawn attention. We evaluated the effect of BMI on the prognosis of patients successfully resuscitated from cardiogenic arrest. This retrospective cohort study included 273 non-traumatic adult cardiogenic arrest survivors receiving coronary angiography after return of spontaneous circulation in three hospitals from January 2011 to September 2017. These patients were classified as underweight, normal-weight, overweight, and obese, based on BMI (<18.5; 18.5–24.9; 25.0–29.9; and ≥30 kg/m2, respectively). In-hospital mortality and poor neurological outcomes were compared among groups. The obese group had significantly higher rates of in-hospital mortality and poor neurological outcomes (cerebral performance scale = 3–5) than did the other groups (for underweight, normal-weight, overweight, and obese groups, in-hospital mortality rates were 38.5%, 29.8%, 39.0%, and 64.1%, respectively, p = 0.002; poor neurological outcomes were 53.9%, 43.8%, 47.0%, and 71.8%, respectively, p = 0.02). The obese group exhibited higher risks of in-hospital mortality and poor neurological outcomes than did the normal-weight group (in-hospital mortality: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 5.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.16–10.32, p < 0.001; poor neurological outcomes: aHR = 3.77, 95% CI 1.69–8.36, p = 0.002). Obesity was associated with higher risks of in-hospital mortality and poor neurological recovery.