Morbidly obese patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit are more likely to die from their illness than less obese patients, according to research presented at the 68th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Also, morbidly obese ICU patients are more likely to be transferred to a nursing home than less obese patients.

"Morbid obesity is a significant predictor for death and transfer to a nursing home among critically ill patients," said Dr. Makito Yaegashi and Dr. Raymonde Jean of the Pulmonary Department at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York. "The patients in this study were hospitalized for a number of diagnoses, but the one thing they had in common -- morbid obesity -- proved to be a critical factor in their outcome."

Researchers looked at 63 patient charts of obese patients admitted to the ICU from January 1998 to June 2001. The patients were divided into two groups: 30 morbidly obese and 33 mildly or moderately obese. The morbidly obese patients had a higher rate of death (23.3 percent vs. 6.1 percent) and higher rate of nursing home transfer (16.6 percent vs. 3 percent) than the moderately obese patients.

The morbidly obese patients also experienced more complications, including sepsis (26.7 percent vs. 6.1 percent), line infection (23.3 percent vs. 3 percent) and acute renal failure (33.3 percent vs. 9.1 percent), among others. Also, the morbidly obese patients had a longer length of stay and spent more days on a mechanical ventilator.

Even when controlling for age, researchers found morbidly obese patients were more likely to die or be transferred to a nursing home.

"This study demonstrates the potentially lethal consequence of obesity," said Dr. Udaya B.S. Prakash, president of the American College of Chest Physicians. "As physicians, we need to be proactive with our overweight patients by educating them on their medical risks and encouraging them to do something about their weight. It's not just a self esteem issue; their lives are at risk."

Other sources: American College of Chest Physicians