Comparison of Lower Extremity Long Bone Fracture Surgery Results between Obese and Non-obese Patients

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a growing epidemic in developed countries which leads to an increase in the percentage of obese people in the orthopedic trauma population and affects patients’ postoperative period. Lower extremity long bone fractures are among the most common fractures and lead to significant complications, prolonged hospitalization, and heavy financial burden on the community health networks. Methods: In this cohort study, all patients with lower extremity long bone fractures (tibia or femur) treated in Bahonar hospital in Kerman were included using the simple sampling method. Then, they were divided into two groups based on BMI (patients with BMI greater than or equal to 30 were considered obese, and with BMI less than 30 were considered non-obese) and followed up for one year after treatment. Results: Our study was conducted on two groups, each including 65 people, of obese and non-obese people with lower extremity fractures. In statistical studies, no significant difference was found between the obese and non-obese groups in terms of underlying disease (P=0.1), fracture site (P=0.130), open or closed fracture (P=0.283), type of surgery (P=0.217), and fracture complications (P=0.699). Conclusion: According to this study, there is no significant relationship between the complications of lower extremity long bone fractures in obese and non-obese people; it seems that after the incidence of fracture, mostly systemic complications should be considered in obese people. Finally, considering the differences between the results of this study and similar studies and genetic and ethnic differences in other parts of Iran, conducting further studies in this field with larger sample sizes in different geographical locations is recommended.