Obesity Linked to More Severe Bone, Joint Injuries

Study also found obese patients more likely to need surgery, have longer hospital stays

By Robert Preidt

Friday, December 4, 2015

FRIDAY, Dec. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity complicates the treatment of broken bones and other major joint injuries, a new study suggests.

"Overall, this study found an association between obesity and increased rates of lower-extremity injuries and orthopedic surgery," said lead author and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Heather Licht. However, the study did not prove that obesity causes orthopedic injuries and related surgeries.

For the study, researchers from Baylor Scott & White Health in Temple, Texas, analyzed data from 300 patients treated for multiple orthopedic injuries at U.S. trauma centers between 2006 and 2011. The investigators found that 72 percent of obese patients required surgery, compared with about 55 percent of non-obese patients.

The more obese a patient was, the greater the likelihood of surgery, the study authors reported. While 67 percent of patients with the lowest level of obesity required surgery, the rate was more than 93 percent among the most obese patients.

Obesity was also tied to longer hospital stays, the findings showed. Patients with normal body mass index (BMI -- an estimate of body fat based on height and weight) had intensive care unit stays of about 7 days and hospital stays of about 12 days, compared with nearly 10 days and just over 16 days, respectively, for obese patients.

Hospital costs were about $160,000 for non-obese patients and nearly $235,000 for obese patients. And the most severely obese patients were more likely to be discharged to a continuing-care facility, according to the report.

The study was published recently in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

"Even when patients have the same severity of injuries, resource utilization is higher among patients with obesity, compared to non-obese patients," Licht said in a journal news release.

More than 38 percent of Americans are obese, the researchers pointed out.

SOURCE: Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, news release, Nov. 18, 2015

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