Contemporary Results of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Obese Patients

Background. Little research has been conducted to explore the postoperative outcomes of obese patients after transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR). Objective. We investigated the influence of body mass index (BMI) on 1-year outcomes after TF-TAVR. Methods. We included retrospectively 1609 high- and intermediate-risk TAVR patients (mean EuroSCORE II 21 ± 11) operated under general anesthesia between March 2014 and March 2018 in central hospital, Bad Berka, Germany. We stratified the patients according to BMI. Results. Our demographic data analysis showed 41% of patients were male and the mean age was 78 (range, 61–92 years). According to the WHO classification, 33% patients had normal weight, 42% were defined as overweight, and 22% were obese. Obese patients showed statistically significant difference in their clinical parameters as having higher incidence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; on the contrary, obese patients were found to be younger than others. We found no differences in valve types and sizes among the different BMI categories. Our mortality rate during the 1-year follow-up period was 17.8% (287 patients). Mortality was significantly higher in patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2 (1 year mortality 149 patients 28.2% in patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2 vs. 138 patients 12.6% in patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2; ). Even after considering the confounding risk factors, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was independently associated with reduced 1 year mortality (odds ratio (OR): 0.36, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.21–0.6; ) in multivariate logistic regression analysis. The rate of vascular complication was higher in patients with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2. However, the rate of blood transfusion was higher in patients with BMI < 25 kg/m2. All other serious complications occurred with equal distribution in both groups. Conclusion. In our single-center study, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 was independently associated with lower 1 year mortality after TF-TAVR.