Effect of BMI on Postoperative Morbidities of Orthopaedic Procedures

Obesity is associated with poor surgical outcome and complications. The literature does not provide a comprehensive view on the effect of body mass index (BMI) on perioperative outcomes in orthopedic surgeries. Therefore, we aim to determine the procedure specific, independent-effect of BMI on 30-day perioperative outcomes in patients undergoing the first 25 most commonly performed orthopedic surgeries.

The study is a retrospective cohort study. The subjects will be the individuals undergoing one of first 25 most commonly performed orthopedic surgeries, whose information is derived form the de-identified patients' data collected through the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. The primary outcome will be composite post-operative morbidity. Specific morbidities will also be evaluated including cardiovascular, vascular and renal complications, length-of-stay (LOS), and the need for re-intervention and readmission, as well as 30-day mortality. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression models will assess the independent-effect of BMI on outcomes.

The knowledge of the effect of BMI on orthopedic surgeries will improve the knowledge of surgeons about the expected morbidities. The surgeon will be able to better counsel obese patients and devise a better surgical plan to prevent or deal with the expected outcomes.

Inclusion criteria

• The inclusion and exclusion criteria are the same as that of ACS-NSQIP database.
• All patients who have undergone any of the 25 most common orthopedic procedures as primary procedure as identified through the CPT codes

Exclusion criteria

• All patients whose BMI was not reported