Association of body weight with total mortality and with ICD shocks among survivors of ventricular fibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Aim: Studies have shown an association between obesity and total mortality among people with and without coronary artery disease. This study reviews outcomes among obese survivors of ventricular fibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods: All survivors of ventricular fibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who presented in Rochester, MN from November 1990 to September 2006 were included and classified by body weight. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks administered were determined by review of subsequent device interrogations. Results: Among a study population of 226, 99 (44%) survived to hospital discharge with neurological recovery. Data to calculate body mass index were available in 213 cases (95%). There was no significant difference in the relative distribution of body weight between hospital survivors and non-survivors, nor in cardioverter defibrillator implantation rates. Mean follow-up was 5.8 ± 4.4 years; 5-year survival was 80 ± 5%, lower among underweight and normal compared with heavier individuals. The 5-year survival free of implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks was 61 ± 7%, with no weight-based difference in shocks. Conclusion: There was no apparent weight-based influence on resuscitation survival after ventricular fibrillation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. People of normal or low weight had a lower long-term survival and represent at population high risk from primarily non-cardiac diseases.