Abstract
Background: Studies of adult and pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy have reported variable outcomes and operative metrics related to the effect of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity in adult and pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy at our institution.Methods: This single-center retrospective study evaluated the relationship between length of hospital stay for appendectomy and body mass index (BMI). Data obtained from the electronic medical record included age, sex, weight, height, BMI, the number of hours the patient experienced symptoms prior to presentation to the emergency room, the number of hours the patient was admitted prior to surgery, the number of hours of hospital admission after surgery, perforated appendix, preoperative comorbidities, and evidence of preoperative sepsis.Results: During the 3-year study period, 118 adults and 38 children who underwent appendectomy composed the study groups. Patients were stratified by obese and nonobese, with obesity defined as BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2. In adults, we found no significant difference between length of stay in obese (n=45) and nonobese (n=73) patients (79.6 ± 65.5 hours vs 101.6 ± 123.0 hours; P=0.21). In children, we found no significant difference between length of stay in obese (n=9) and nonobese (n=29) patients (92.9 ± 64.6 hours vs 109.0 ± 93.5 hours; P=0.54).Conclusion: Obesity did not affect length of stay in adults and children who underwent appendectomy in the present series.
Highlights
Appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide, whether performed for management of acute appendicitis or as an addition to a larger abdominal surgery.[1]
Patients undergoing appendectomy represent a sizable proportion of the general surgery patient population, and obesity may be an important factor in determining patient morbidity related to appendectomy performed for management of acute appendicitis
In a cohort of 272 patients who underwent appendectomy, no significant differences were found in postoperative recovery, appendix perforation status, or mortality between obese and nonobese patients, and Towfigh et al recommended no change in appendicitis management for obese patients.[4]
Summary
Appendectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures worldwide, whether performed for management of acute appendicitis or as an addition to a larger abdominal surgery.[1]. Studies of adult and pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy have reported variable outcomes and operative metrics related to the effect of obesity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity in adult and pediatric patients undergoing appendectomy at our institution. We found no significant difference between length of stay in obese (n=45) and nonobese (n=73) patients (79.6 ± 65.5 hours vs 101.6 ± 123.0 hours; P=0.21). We found no significant difference between length of stay in obese (n=9) and nonobese (n=29) patients (92.9 ± 64.6 hours vs 109.0 ± 93.5 hours; P=0.54). Conclusion: Obesity did not affect length of stay in adults and children who underwent appendectomy in the present series
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