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Clinical outcomes in overweight heart transplant recipients

Anne Jalowiec1, Kathleen L Grady2, Connie White-Williams3

  • 1School of Nursing, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Heart & Lung : the Journal of Critical Care
|April 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Overweight heart transplant (HT) recipients experience better survival but face increased risks of rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), and diabetes. Non-overweight patients have worse survival and higher rates of re-hospitalization, lymphoma, and renal dysfunction.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Transplant Surgery
  • Obesity Medicine

Background:

  • Limited research exists on how patient weight affects heart transplant (HT) outcomes.
  • Body mass index (BMI) is a key indicator of patient weight.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare nine post-heart transplant outcomes between non-overweight and overweight recipients.
  • To analyze the impact of BMI on survival, re-hospitalization, and specific complications within three years post-transplant.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 347 heart transplant recipients was divided into two groups based on BMI (Group 1: BMI <25, Group 2: BMI ≥25).
  • Key outcomes assessed included survival, re-hospitalization, rejection, infection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), stroke, renal dysfunction, diabetes, and lymphoma.
  • Demographic data such as age, sex, and minority status were recorded for each group.

Main Results:

  • Overweight recipients (BMI ≥25) demonstrated superior survival rates compared to non-overweight recipients (BMI <25).
  • Non-overweight patients experienced longer re-hospitalization periods post-discharge and higher incidences of lymphoma and severe renal dysfunction.
  • Overweight patients showed increased rates of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), steroid-induced diabetes, and acute rejections.

Conclusions:

  • Overweight status in heart transplant recipients is associated with better survival but a higher risk of CAV, rejections, and diabetes.
  • Non-overweight recipients face poorer survival outcomes, alongside increased re-hospitalization, lymphoma, and renal complications.
  • Weight management strategies may be crucial for optimizing long-term heart transplant success and mitigating specific adverse events.
Abstract

Keywords:
Heart transplant hospitalizationHeart transplant outcomesHeart transplant survivalObese heart transplant patientsOverweight heart transplant patients

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