Obese patients have higher risk of infection after heart bypass surgery
A new study has found that patients
with obesity have much higher risk of developing an infection soon after heart
bypass surgery. The study was conducted by University of Alberta researchers at
the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data from
56,722 patients in the provincial registry to examine associations between body
mass index (BMI) and various outcomes following coronary artery bypass grafting
(CABG) surgery and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as
coronary angioplasty.
Researcher Tasuku Terada, who
recently presented the series of studies at the Canadian Obesity Summit
said,"Compared to patients with normal BMI, we found that patients with
BMI greater than 30 were 1.9 times more likely to report infections after
bypass surgery." He added,"A better understanding is needed in order
to improve clinical outcomes for patients with obesity and heart disease."
In addition, another study in the
series published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology found that 88 percent of
patients, who received PCI, were classified as obese, compared to 55 per cent
of the patients who received CABG. PCI is a non-surgical procedure that opens
up narrowed arteries in the heart due to plaque build-up. The physician places
a small stent to keep the artery open and help to prevent re-narrowing.
Terada noted that the risk of
infection following CABG may explain why patients with obesity are more likely
to receive PCI. Postsurgical infection means an increase in the length of stay
at the hospital for patients, resulting in increased medical costs and use of
resources.
Knowing the risks and potential
outcomes can help health-care providers and patients make more informed choices
on treatment and better use of resources. Obesity expert Mary Forhan believes
that further investigation will help researchers develop tools to help decrease
the risk of infection, and to ensure that patients are receiving proper care.
23.06.2017
Discontent is the first necessity
of progress
Thomas A. Edison
No comments:
Post a Comment