Obesity paradox in patients with reduced ejection fraction eligible for device implantation – an observational study

Aims Patients with obesity have an overall higher cardiovascular risk, at the same time obesity could be associated with a better outcome in a certain subgroup of patients, a phenomenon known as the obesity paradox. Data are scarce in candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and all‐cause mortality in patients eligible for CRT. Methods Altogether 1,585 patients underwent cardiac resynchronization therapy between 2000–2020 and were categorized based on their BMI, 459 (29%) patients with normal weight (BMI