TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2007//
TI  - Morbid obesity impacts mortality in blunt trauma
JO  - American surgeon
A1  - Christmas, A. Britton
A1  - Reynolds, Jennifer
A1  - Wilson, Ashley K.
A1  - Franklin, Glen A.
A1  - Miller, Frank B.
A1  - Richardson, J. David
A1  - Rodriguez, Jorge L.
SP  - 1122
EP  - 1125
VL  - 73
IS  - 11
N2  - Twenty-six per cent of adults in the Unites States are obese and trauma remains a major cause of death. We assessed the impact of morbid obesity on mortality in patients with blunt trauma. We reviewed the records of patients with a body mass index 40 kg/m2 or greater injured by blunt trauma from 1993 to 2003 and compared them with a 4:1 control population with a normal body mass index and matched for sex and constellation of injuries. For comparison, patients were categorized by Injury Severity Score 9 or less or Injury Severity Score 10 or greater. Student t test and chi2 were used for statistical analysis. P < 0.05 was considered significant. One hundred seven morbidly obese patients were identified and compared with 458 control subjects with a normal body mass index and matched for sex and constellation of injuries. Although the morbidly obese patients were found to be significantly younger, those who incurred multiorgan injury experienced a significantly longer hospital length of stay and displayed a greater than fourfold increase in mortality when compared with the control subjects. Furthermore, the number of morbidly obese patients admitted over the 10-year period significantly increased by fourfold (0.4% to 1.5%). Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in morbidly obese patients cared for in our trauma center. Although these patients were significantly younger with a similar Glasgow Coma Score as that of the control population, morbid obesity significantly increased mortality when the injury from blunt trauma transitioned from a single to a multiorgan injury.<p /> <p>Language: en</p> 
LA  - en
SN  - 0003-1348
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -