Perioperative medicine & outcomes
The association between BMI and postoperative pulmonary complications in adults undergoing non‐cardiac, non‐obstetric surgery: a retrospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Patients who were overweight or living with class 1 obesity undergoing non-cardiac, non-obstetric surgery had paradoxically lower risks of postoperative pulmonary complications compared with those of a normal weight.
Study context
- Population
- Adults undergoing non-cardiac, non-obstetric surgery at a university-affiliated tertiary care hospital, 2019–2023
- Participants
- 125,082 adults
- Exposure
- BMI categories vs normal weight
- Outcome
- Incidence of PPCs
Methodological detailssingle-centre, university-affiliated tertiary care hospital, multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic splines
- Single-centre
- University-affiliated tertiary care hospital
- Multivariable logistic regression
- Restricted cubic splines
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
PPCs
Each group vs normal weightOdds ratio (95% CI)P value
Underweightadjusted for confounders
1.24(1.12–1.39)
P < 0.001Overweightadjusted for confounders
0.88(0.83–0.94)
P < 0.001Class 1 obesityadjusted for confounders
0.82(0.70–0.96)
P = 0.01Obesity class 2/3adjusted for confounders; similar risk
1.23(0.91–1.66)
P = 0.17- Overall incidence of ≥1 PPC
- 6671 (5.3%)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Shape of BMI–PPC association (restricted cubic splines)
- J-shaped association; lowest risk at BMI (kg.m-2)
- 27.4
Original publication
The association between BMI and postoperative pulmonary complications in adults undergoing non‐cardiac, non‐obstetric surgery: a retrospective cohort study. Anaesthesia. Published 18 February 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →