The obesity paradox in patients with major burn injuries: a single tertiary burn centre review

Abstract

Introduction: The obesity paradox is a phenomenon described in medical literature where overweight and obese patients have improved survival and better health outcomes. The obesity paradox is of curiosity to many clinicians as the general consensus in medicine has been that a higher body mass index results in poorer health outcomes in both medical and surgical conditions. The aim of this study is to determine whether the obesity paradox exists in our patients with major burn injuries. To our knowledge, this has not been previously investigated in the Australian major burn population. Methods: This is a retrospective study involving patients with major burn injuries > 20 per cent total body surface area admitted to the Victorian Adult Burns Service (Melbourne, Australia) from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020 (five-year period). Information collected included patient demographics, weight and height, and nature of burn injuries. Primary outcome of interest was inpatient mortality, and secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay, intensive care unit length of stay, duration of ventilation support required and presence of bacteraemia. Results: A total of 1704 patients were admitted, of whom 165 patients met inclusion criteria for analysis. The vast majority of 31 patients (18.8%) who died during admission were palliated. The obesity paradox did not exist in this study population. Furthermore, although not statistically significant, higher levels of body mass index showed increased risk of mortality. There was no significant association between body mass index and hospital length of stay (p = 0.16), intensive care unit length of stay (p = 0.72), duration of ventilation support (p = 0.62) nor bacteraemia (p = 0.68). Conclusion: The emerging evidence regarding the obesity paradox in the burn surgery literature is inconsistent. We contend that differences in burn management, including palliation of patients with major burn injuries, contribute to these findings.