The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Aug 1999
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialAre preoperative obesity and cachexia risk factors for post heart transplant morbidity and mortality: a multi-institutional study of preoperative weight-height indices. Cardiac Transplant Research Database (CTRD) Group.
The relationship between pre-transplant body weight and post-transplant outcome has only recently been identified using a single, indirect measure of weight (percent ideal body weight [PIBW]). The literature is equivocal regarding which index is the better indicator of body weight. The purpose of this study was to determine (1) if pre-heart transplant body weight, measured by body mass index (BMI) and PIBW, is associated with post-heart transplant morbidity and mortality and (2) if patient gender, age, and etiology of heart disease affect this association. ⋯ In conclusion, being cachectic or obese preoperatively is associated with decreased survival in all patients after heart transplantation. Being obese preoperatively is associated with increased infection after heart transplant in males and females <55 years and in patients with ischemic heart disease. Of the 2 indices of body weight used in this study, percent ideal body weight appears to be the better predictor of future morbidity and mortality following heart transplantation.