Purpose: To compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional status between obese, underweight, normal-weight, and overweight patients after three months post-intensive care unit (ICU) discharge.
Methods: Multicenter cohort study (10 Brazilian ICUs). 1600 ICU survivors (≥ 72 h in the ICU) were included.The main outcomes were HRQoL and functional status assessed three months after the ICU discharge. The secondary outcomes were mortality, hospital readmission, and ICU readmission during the same period.
Results: Obese patients (median 50.1; IQR 39.6-59.6) had lower HRQoL in the mental component than normal-weight patients (median 53; IQR 45.6-60.1) (p = 0.033). No differences were found between BMI categories regarding the physical component of HRQoL and the Barthel Index (p = 0.355 and 0.295, respectively). Regarding readmissions, 65.1 and 25.1% of patients were readmitted to the hospital and ICU, but there was no difference between the groups (p = 0.870 and 0.220, respectively). Obese patients died less frequently (11.8%) than underweight (30.9%) and normal-weight (19.3%) patients (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: After three months of post-ICU discharge, obese patients had lower HRQoL in the mental component than normal-weight patients. However, obese patients died less than underweight and normal-weight patients.
Keywords: Body mass index; Critical care; Follow-up studies; Functional status; Intensive care.
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.