Obesity Effect on the Course of Abdominal Trauma

Abstract

The aim was to determine the role of obesity in the development of fatal complications and deaths in victims with abdominal trauma. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on the basis of the Department of Polytrauma at the Municipal Health Care Institution of Kharkiv City Council ”O.I. Meshchaninov City Clinical Hospital of Ambulance and Emergency Care”. The authors have analyzed the case histories of 240 patients with abdominal trauma depending on the presence of obesity, which was determined by BMI (body mass index) and/or waist circumference (WC). Results: Complications were found in 93 (38.8%) victims, 34 (14.2%) victims died. It was found that the overall incidence of complications, respiratory and hemocoagulation complications, the incidence of multiple organ failure (MOF) and mortality significantly increased in obese victims. Determination of obesity by the value of the BMI during hospitalization was possible in 41.7% of victims. The identification of WC turned out to be no less informative, but more accessible. Conclusions: Obesity increases the incidence of complications and mortality in victims of abdominal trauma, and is a marker of a negative prognosis. Traditional assessment of BMI during hospitalization in most victims with abdominal trauma is not possible due to the severity of the condition and/or the presence of combined injuries. A good alternative to determining obesity in victims with abdominal trauma is a WC (more than 88 cm in women and more than 102 cm in men).