The association of different body components, including lean mass and body fat, with the risk of death in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are unclear.

We enrolled adults diagnosed with ACS at our center between January 2011 and December 2012 and obtained follow-up outcomes via telephone questionnaires. We used restricted cubic splines (RCS) with the Cox proportional hazards model to analyze the associations between body mass index (BMI), predicted lean mass index (LMI), predicted body fat percentage (BF), and the value of LMI/BF with 10-year mortality. We also examined the secondary outcome of death during hospitalization.

During the maximum 10-year follow-up of 1398 patients, 331 deaths (23.6%) occurred, and a U-shaped relationship was found between BMI and death risk (P_nonlinearity = 0.03). After adjusting for age and history of diabetes, the overweight group (24 ≤ BMI < 28 kg/m²) had the lowest mortality (HR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.29-0.99). Predicted LMI and LMI/BF had an inverse linear relationship with a 10-year death risk (P_nonlinearity = 0.24 and P_nonlinearity = 0.38, respectively), while an increase in BF was associated with increased mortality (P_nonlinearity = 0.64). During hospitalization, 31 deaths (2.2%) were recorded, and the associations of the indicators with in-hospital mortality were consistent with the long-term outcome analyses.

Our study provides new insight into the “obesity paradox” in ACS patients, highlighting the importance of considering body composition heterogeneity. Predicted LMI and BF may serve as useful tools for assessing nutritional status and predicting the prognosis of ACS, based on their linear associations with all-cause mortality.

Few studies from developed countries have quantitatively characterized the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving contemporary intensive cardiac care. We sought to investigate these data in patients admitted to a Chinese intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU).

We conducted a retrospective study using data from 2,337 consecutive admissions to the ICCU at a large centre in China from June 2016 to May 2017. Data were captured after systematic inspection of individual medical records regarding current demographics, primary diagnosis, comorbidities, illnesses severity, and in-hospital outcomes.

The mean age was 65.6 ± 14.2 years, and females accounted for 32.0% of patients. The Charlson Comorbidity Index and Oxford Acute Severity of Illness Score were 2.4 ± 1.8 and 22.5 ± 10.4, respectively. The top reason for admission was ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (32.0%), and nonischaemic heart diseases accounted for 31.2% of all primary diagnoses. Noncardiovascular diseases were prevalent in the ICCU population, including chronic illnesses and acute noncardiovascular critical illnesses (ANCIs); in particular, 21.7% of patients were marked by acute respiratory failure (14.6%), acute kidney injury (13.7%), sepsis (4.2%), or gastrointestinal bleeding (3.3%). The median length of stay in the ICCU and hospital were 1.1 days [interquartile range (IQR): 0.8–2.6 days] and 6.3 days (IQR: 3.8−10.9 days), respectively. The overall incidence of in-hospital death or discharge against medical advice under extremely critical conditions was 7.6% (n = 177). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the complexity of chronic illnesses and incident ANCIs were strong independent determinants for in-hospital outcomes.

Remarkable patient diversity and breadth of critical illnesses were observed in a Chinese ICCU population. Particularly, noncardiovascular diseases were prevalent and associated with adverse outcomes. Reformation of organization and staffing practices may be considered to adapt to the changed landscape.