Body Weight Limitations of United States Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories Including Restricted Access for the Morbidly Obese

A telephone survey was performed to determine the current weight limits of cardiovascular catheterization laboratories (n = 94) in the United States. The minimum, mean, and maximum weight limits of the catheterization laboratories in this survey were 160, 198.9, and 250 kg (350, 437.5, and 550 lb), respectively. Twenty-two percent of respondents (n = 21) referred to other institutions when asked what they did when patients were too heavy, and 70% of respondents (n = 66) could not provide an answer. In this population, 5.2 ± 3.4 patients/hospital/year were rejected for being over the weight limit. In conclusion, these results provide useful information for the future management of this growing population.