The influence of obesity on in-hospital clinical outcomes after recanalisation of chronic total occlusions

Objectives: Recanalisation of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in interventional cardiology is one of the most challenging and complex procedures. Currently, no data are available about the impact of BMI on success rates among CTO patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact that BMI has on success rates, complications, and procedure characteristics among a large group of CTO patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: The present study retrospectively included 420 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention for at least one chronic total occlusion in the Hospital of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences of Kaunas. All patients were grouped by their BMI level based on the World Health Organisation classification. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0 software. The value of p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Positive correlations were detected between body mass index and cardiovascular risk factors, as well as the duration of the procedure and fluoroscopy time; likewise, the amount of used contrast increased with the increase of BMI (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, there was no statistically significant difference across all body mass index categories in terms of procedure success, complication rates, and outcomes (p > 0.05). Conclusion: This retrospective study indicates that BMI has no impact on in-hospital outcomes in patients with chronic total occlusion after percutaneous coronary intervention.