Impact of High Body Mass Index on Vascular and Bleeding Complications After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation

Increased body mass index (BMI) is an established cardiovascular risk factor. The impact of high BMI on vascular and bleeding complications in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is not clarified. RISPEVA, a multicenter prospective database of patients undergoing TAVI stratified by BMI was used for this analysis. Patients were classified as normal or high BMI (obese and overweight) according to the World Health Organization criteria. A comparison of 30-day vascular and bleeding outcomes between groups was performed using propensity scores methods. A total of 3776 matched subjects for their baseline characteristics were included. Compared with normal BMI, high BMI patients had significantly 30-day greater risk of the composite of vascular or bleeding complications (11.1% vs 8.8%, OR: 1.28, 95% CI [1.02 to 1.61]; p = 0.03). Complications rates were higher in both obese (11.3%) and overweight (10.5%), as compared with normal weight patients (8.8%). By a landmark event analysis, the effect of high versus normal BMI on these complications appeared more pronounced within 7 days after the TAVI procedure. A significant linear association between increased BMI and vascular complications was observed at this time frame (p = 0.03). In conclusion, compared with normal BMI, both obese and overweight patients undergoing TAVI, experience increased rates of 30-day vascular and bleeding complications. These findings indicate that high BMI is an independent risk predictor of vascular and bleeding complications after TAVI.