Body Mass Index and Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: A Retrospective Observational Study

The influence of body mass index (BMI) on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) outcomes has been the focus of several previous studies. In this study, we examined the relationship between BMI and various clinical outcomes following TAVR procedures. A comprehensive analysis was conducted using a large cohort of patients who underwent TAVR. In this study, we identified patients who underwent Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the year 2020. Procedure Classification System (ICD-10-PCS) codes were used to identify TAVR cases. The weighted final study sample included 77319 TAVR hospitalizations. Patients were categorized into 5 groups based on their Body Mass Index (BMI. Our findings revealed that there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality among different BMI groups when compared to patients with a normal BMI (20 to 24.9). patients with a BMI of 25 or higher demonstrated a statistically significant shorter duration of hospitalization compared to those with a normal BMI. patients with a BMI ranging between 30 and 39.9 exhibited decreased hospitalization costs when compared to patients with a normal BMI. Moreover, our study revealed a decrease in atrial fibrillation, acute heart failure and acute kidney injury complications following TAVR in patients with above-normal BMI. Despite similar in-hospital mortality across BMI groups, having a BMI of 25 or greater is associated with improved immediate outcomes following TAVR. These benefits in overweight and obese patients are consistent with findings described in recent literature. Further studies are warranted to explore the underlying mechanisms and potential implications of these associations, as well as to optimize patient selection and management strategies for TAVR procedures.