ABSTRACT

Objective:

Obesity has been perceived to be a risk factor for adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that patients with morbid obesity (defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater or equal to 40 kg/m2) would have increased rates of mortality and morbidity following cardiac surgery.

Methods:

The case records of patients who had cardiac surgery between January 1996 and August 2002, who had a BMI greater or equal to 40 kg/m2, were reviewed retrospectively and compared with a representative control group randomly selected from the same database. Differences between the two groups were determined using multiple and logistical regression.

Results:

Out of the 4381 patients who had cardiac surgery, 28 patients were morbidly obese (0.6%). No morbidly obese patients and one control patient died in hospital (p = 0.31). Patients with morbid obesity had non-statistically significant increases in length of postoperative intensive care stay, hospital stay, infections, inotrope use and requirements for pacing.

Conclusions:

This study was unable to demonstrate that morbidly obese patients having cardiac surgery had statistically significant increased morbidity or mortality.(Critical Care and Resuscitation 2005; 7: 166-172)

Key words:

Cardiac surgery, heart surgery, obesity, outcome assessment, morbid obesity

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