Obesity and perioperative complications in head and neck free tissue reconstruction.
Free tissue transfer is a mainstay in reconstruction of complex head and neck defects. The purpose of this study was to determine if perioperative complications were more common in patients with body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m(2) undergoing free flap reconstruction.



A multi-institutional retrospective cohort was created. Medical complications, surgical complications, and procedural variables were recorded. Logistic regression was used to investigate univariate and multivariate associations between outcomes and predictors.



Of 582 cases, 128 patients (22%) had BMI >30. Surgical complications occurred in 153 cases (26.3%), with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) for association of surgical complications with BMI >30 of 0.92 (p = .71). Medical complications occurred in 178 cases (30.6%), with an adjusted OR of 0.78 (p = .26). Age and advanced comorbidity status (Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27 [ACE-27] 2 or 3) were associated with medical complications (p < .0001).



BMI >30 does not predict medical or surgical complications in patients undergoing head and neck free flap surgery. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1188-E1191, 2016.
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa.
Gabriel
G
de la Garza
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
Oleg
O
Militsakh
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska.
Aru
A
Panwar
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
Tabitha L
TL
Galloway
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
Jeffrey B
JB
Jorgensen
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas.
Levi G
LG
Ledgerwood
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas.
Katelyn
K
Kaiser
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas.
Collin
C
Kitzerow
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kansas, Kansas City, Kansas.
Yelizaveta
Y
Shnayder
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Colin A
CA
Neumann
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Samir S
SS
Khariwala
The Sanford Clinic, Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
W
W
Chad Spanos
Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa.
Nitin A
NA
Pagedar
D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000637:transplantation*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
complications; free flap; obesity; outcomes; reconstruction