The Burgeoning Epidemic of Morbid Obesity in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention : Insight From the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium

ObjectivesThis study sought to examine the prevalence and clinical implications of morbid obesity among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).BackgroundThe prevalence of obesity, and morbid obesity in particular, continues to rise rapidly in the United States. Obese patients are at increased risk for cardiac disease and are more likely to need invasive cardiac procedures. There is a paucity of contemporary data on the prevalence and clinical implications of morbid obesity among patients undergoing PCI.MethodsWe examined the prevalence of morbid obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40 kg/m2) among 227,044 patients undergoing PCI and enrolled in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Cardiovascular Consortium registry from 1998 to 2009.ResultsThe proportion of morbidly obese patients undergoing PCI increased from 4.38% in 1998 to 8.36% in 2009. Compared with overweight patients (BMI 25 to 30 kg/m2), these patients had significantly increased vascular complications (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.17 to 1.47; p < 0.0001), contrast-induced nephropathy (adjusted OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.70 to 2.11; p < 0.0001), nephropathy requiring dialysis (adjusted OR: 4.08; 95% CI: 2.98 to 5.59; p < 0.0001), and mortality (adjusted OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.33 to 2.00; p < 0.0001).ConclusionsMorbid obesity is increasing in prevalence among patients undergoing PCI and is associated with a higher risk of mortality and morbidity. These epidemiological changes have important implications for technical considerations of cardiac catheterization, design of the catheterization lab to accommodate these patients, and most importantly, for societal effort toward prevention of obesity.