Impact of body mass index on the development of pocket hematoma: A retrospective study in Chinese people

BACKGROUND: Pocket hematoma is one of the major complications associated with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) implantation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of body mass index (BMI) on the occurrence of pocket hematoma after CIEDs implantation. METHODS: The study is a retrospective review of 972 patients receiving CIEDs implantation between 2008 and 2012 in a tertiary hospital. RESULTS: Twenty two patients (2.2%) developed severe pocket hematoma requiring re-intervention. The hematoma rate (4.6%, n = 15) of patients with a BMI of < 23 kg/m(2) was significantly higher compared with that of patients with a BMI of ≥ 23 kg/m(2) (1.1%, n = 7, P < 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, a BMI < 23.0 kg/m(2) may be associated with the development of severe pocket hematoma. An increase of 1.0 kg/m(2) in BMI was associated with lower incidence of hematoma formation (OR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.74-0.95; P = 0.006). CONCLUSION: BMI < 23 kg/m(2) was associated with a higher incidence of pocket hematoma, requiring re-intervention. The data support that great care must be taken when patients were with a lower BMI received CIEDs implantation.