The Impact of Body Mass Index on Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Graft Bypass

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on short- and long-term outcomes after initial revascularization with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHODS: 4916 Chinese who consecutively underwent isolated, primary CABG at the Cardiovascular Institute of Fuwai Hospital from January 1, 1999 to December 31, 2005 were included in this study. They were classified based on BMI as follows: underweight: <18.5 kg/m(2), normal weight: 18.5 to 23.9 kg/m(2), overweight: 24 to 27.9 kg/m(2), obesity: 28 to 32 kg/m(2), and severe obesity: >32 kg/m(2). Short (in-hospital) and long-term (5-years) major post-operative complications and mortalities were compared among various BMI groups after initial revascularization. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis of five years follow-up of clinical end points indicated that various BMI groups were not associated with significant differences in 5 years mortality and MACCE, however, old age, smoking, hypertension, myocardial infarction and heart failure were the risk factor for the mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In this large-scale study with long term follow-up after primary CABG in an exclusively ethnic Chinese population, we found that different BMI groups were not significantly associated with 5-years mortality and MACCE, however, old age, smoking, hypertension, myocardial infarction and heart failure were the risk factors of post-operative mortality, and old age, hypertension and heart failure increased the rate of MACCE.