Surgical patients with a body mass index below 23.1 have a significantly higher risk of death than those with BMIs of 26.3-29.6, according to a study published in the Archives of Surgery and reported in MedPage Today.
Surgical patients with a body mass index at the "lower end of the normal range" were more likely to die within 30 days than patients within the moderately overweight range, according to the report. The analysis looked at 189,533 surgeries performed in 2005 and 2006 and recorded in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.
Patients with higher BMI values above 23.1, including morbidly obese patients, had about the same risk of 30-day mortality as the moderately overweight, according to the report. Obesity was only associated with increased mortality for some types of surgery, including colorectal resection, mastectomy, wound debridement, colostomy formation and cholecystectomy.
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Surgical patients with a body mass index at the "lower end of the normal range" were more likely to die within 30 days than patients within the moderately overweight range, according to the report. The analysis looked at 189,533 surgeries performed in 2005 and 2006 and recorded in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database.
Patients with higher BMI values above 23.1, including morbidly obese patients, had about the same risk of 30-day mortality as the moderately overweight, according to the report. Obesity was only associated with increased mortality for some types of surgery, including colorectal resection, mastectomy, wound debridement, colostomy formation and cholecystectomy.
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Covidien Discontinuing Non-Sterile Alcohol Prep Pads
Stanford to Study Oversights During Patients' Physical Exams
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