ReviewJHLT open2026
Impact of severe obesity on heart transplantation outcomes: A meta-analysis of survival and complications.
Review in JHLT open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- From Continuous-Flow Mechanical Circulatory Support to Heart Transplantation: Hemodynamic, Immunometabolic, and Body Composition Determinants of Rehabilitation Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Obesity in Heart Failure: Mechanistic, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations.Cardiac failure review · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Heart transplantation (HT) is the standard treatment for end-stage heart failure, but severe obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI] ≥ 35 kg/m²) is linked to worse outcomes and is considered a relative contraindication. Obese patients face increased perioperative risks, longer wait times, and reduced survival, though improved clinical care may mitigate some effects. As obesity rates rise, the suitability of the current BMI is increasingly debated. Evidence remains limited and inconsistent, highlighting a need for clearer guidance. This systematic review and meta-analysis assess the impact of severe obesity on survival and post-transplant complications in HT recipients. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis followed preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251036442). We included cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (2000-2025) comparing outcomes in adult heart transplant recipients with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m² vs lower BMI. Primary outcomes were mortality and post-transplant complications. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL. Multiple reviewers did data extraction and bias assessment (ROBINS-I) independently. Random-effects models were used for statistical analysis, with heterogeneity assessed via I², and sensitivity analyses performed. Publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots. Results: The search strategy retrieved 1,697 articles or abstracts, 595 were excluded for being duplicates, and 59 full-text articles were selected for full-text analysis. Of these, 9 cohorts were included, 7 from the United States and 2 from Canada, with 218,272 patients, of whom 206,459 had a BMI < 35 and 11,813 had a BMI ≥ 35kg/m². Conclusion: This meta-analysis shows that severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m²) remains associated with higher rates of infection, graft failure, and post-transplant mortality, despite advances in care. These outcomes likely reflect underlying immune and metabolic dysfunctions in obese patients, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to improve long-term survival after heart transplantation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.