Low, rather than high, body mass index confers increased risk for post‐liver transplant death and graft loss: Risk modulated by model for end‐stage liver disease

With increasing attention being paid to optimizing patient outcomes, it has been proposed that liver transplantation (LT) for individuals with elevated body mass index (BMI) values and high Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores may adversely affect post‐LT outcomes. We investigated the impact of BMI on post‐LT outcomes in the context of MELD at LT. Using United Network for Organ Sharing data, we identified all adult (≥18 years) primary LT recipients from March 1, 2002 to September 30, 2011. BMI categories included the following: underweight, normal, overweight, class I obese, class II obese, and class III obese (