The following is a summary of “Impact of Body Mass Index on Cardiac Arrest Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” published in the November 2023 issue of Cardiology by Xie et al.
Although body mass index (BMI) is a standard health indicator, its role in post-cardiac arrest outcomes is ambiguous.
They searched standard electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus) for pertinent observational studies published in peer-reviewed English journals. Pooled effect estimates were computed using random-effects models, and ORs with 95% CIs were presented. A total of 20 studies were incorporated into their meta-analysis.
The results showed BMI and underweight individuals exhibited comparable risks of in-hospital mortality (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.90–1.60), mortality (6 months) of discharge (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.59–1.42), 1-year follow-up mortality (OR, 2.42; 95% CI, 0.96–6.08), and neurological a at hospital discharge (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.53–1.39) and follow up of 6 months (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.47–1.13). In overweight and obese individuals, the risks of in-hospital mortality and mortality (6 months) of discharge mirrored those in individuals with normal BMIs. Overweight (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.35–0.92) and obese individuals (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.51–0.89) indicated lower mortality risks after the 1-year follow-up. The lower risk in overweight and obese subjects applied solely to in-hospital cardiac arrest, not out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. BMI exhibited no convert over early survival or brain function, with overweight and obese individuals faring no worse than those with normal BMIs in terms of neurological outcomes.
They concluded that while overweight and obese patients enjoyed surprising survival advantages, the effect varied by setting and demanding confirmation.
