You are working at an outpatient surgical center and your next patient presents for a knee arthroscopy. Your patient has a body mass index (BMI) of 50 kg/m2. According to a recent retrospective cohort study that examined the association of BMI with postoperative outcomes after joint arthroscopy, which of the following is MOST likely increased in a patient who has a BMI between 50 and 60 compared with a patient who has a BMI between 30 and 40?
More surgical procedures are being performed on an outpatient basis or in stand-alone outpatient surgical centers. Optimal patient selection for ambulatory surgery is important to prevent postoperative complications and unplanned hospital admissions. Past studies have reported obesity as a risk factor for postoperative complications, but the data have been mixed in regard to specific levels of obesity and specific procedures for risk stratification purposes.
A recent multi-institutional retrospective cohort study...
