Obesity is Associated with Reduced Brain Tissue Oxygen Tension After Severe Brain Injury

Background Obesity has been associated with compromised tissue oxygenation and reduced organ perfusion. The brain is critically dependent on oxygen delivery, and reduced brain tissue oxygen tension (PbtO2) may result in poor outcome after brain injury. We tested the hypothesis that obesity is associated with compromised PbtO2 after severe brain injury. Methods Patients with severe brain injury (GCS score ≤ 8) who underwent continuous PbtO2 monitoring were retrospectively identified from a prospective single-center database. Patients, were classified by body mass index (BMI = weight (kg)/m2) and were included if they were obese (BMI ≥ 30) or non-obese (BMI =