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Nutrition in Clinical Practice
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Body Mass Index as a Predictor of Complications and Length of Hospital Stay after Thoracic Surgery

Rafael Barrera, MD

Vittoria Arslan, MD

Nehme Gebrayel, MD

Jose Melendez, MD

Background: Body mass index (BMI) has been correlated to complications and outcome in surgical patients at the two extremes of the nutrition spectrum. Objective: To study the relationship between BMI, outcome, hospital length of stay and complications in oncology patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Design: The study population was divided according to BMI in normal weight patients (BMI = 18 to 25) and ovenveight patients (BMI > 25) and prospectively followed postoperative cardiac complications, pulmonary complications, and death. Charts were reviewed for length of hospital stay. Results: One hundred thirty-seven patients were studied. There were a total of 53 complications in 39 of 137 patients (BMI 26 ± 4). Thirty-five (25%) were pulmonary and 18 (13%) were cardiac complications. There was no correlation between BMI and either cardiac, pulmonary or all complications. Ovenveight patients spent an average of 6.8 ± 0.4 days and 20.5 ± 5.3 days if they had a complication, which was 8.0 ± 3.0 days more than compared with patients with normal BMI who had complications. Conclusions: Our data suggest that BMI has a strong correlation with length of hospital stay in surgical thoracic patients. Complications in a patient with an elevated BMI are associated with an increased length of stay after thoracic resection.

Nutrition in Clinical Practice, Vol. 15, No. 4, 181-184 (2000)
DOI: 10.1177/088453360001500405
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