title: The impact of obesity on adult tracheostomy complication rate.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prospectively compare tracheostomy-related complications in obese patients with complications in nonobese patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients undergoing tracheostomy were studied. Patients who had a prior tracheostomy were excluded. Complications were classified as intraoperative, early (within the first 2 weeks), or late.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 151 patients met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Fifty-five percent of obese patients experienced at least one tracheostomy-related complication; 19.5% of the control group had a complication. Mean procedure duration for patients with body mass index < 30 was 24.74 minutes and for obese patients was 46.17 minutes. There was a statistically significant effect of body mass index on complication rate (P < .0001) and on procedure duration (P < .0001). The relationships between body mass index and intraoperative complications (P = .027) and early postoperative complications (P = .001) were significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tracheostomy-related complication rate is significantly higher for obese patients, especially for body mass index ≥ 35, especially in the intraoperative and early postoperative time periods. Procedure duration is significantly longer in obese patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Cordes
authors.forename: Amy R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Kelly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Hiatt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D061646:Operative Time; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D014139:Tracheostomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Tracheostomy; complications; obesity