Does obesity impact the pattern and outcome of trauma in children?

The Effects of Obesity on Outcomes in Trauma Injury: Overview of the Current Literature

“…Alselaim et al evaluated the effects of obesity on trauma outcomes in the pediatric population. 26 This study divided children by the 95 th percentile for BMI and found no significant association between obesity and mortality. The criteria used to separate the two groups may have included overweight or near obese patients in the control group leading to no observed difference in outcomes.…”

Assessing the Relationship Between BMI and Resource Utilization in a Pediatric Trauma Population

“…It was consistent with several other studies which have found that ISS rather than obesity has the greatest influence on poor outcomes. [17][18][19] Although the present study was not a comprehensive measure of resource usage (but rather an exploratory method), information can be gleaned from the results to enhance our understanding of the complexity of patient outcomes. The study concluded that there was no association between BMI and hospital resource usage.…”

“…33 Although several studies have examined mortality as an outcome, the statistical methods of those studies may be inaccurate. 17,19 This statistical dilemma can occur with most studies involving pediatric patients. We therefore propose that mortality is not an appropriate end point for a pediatric population.…”

“…14 Multiple studies have reviewed the association between obesity and trauma outcomes (eg, ICU and hospital length of stay [LOS], mortality), with varied results. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Single institutional studies have concluded that obese patients experiencing traumatic injuries have a higher incidence of complications, 15 increased risk for ventilator support, 20 and longer hospitalizations 15,20 for comparable injury severity scores (ISS) than those with normal BMIs. 15 In contrast, other studies have determined that there are no differences in total ventilation days or PICU LOS 18 and found no association with mortality 15,19 after adjusting for ISS 17 in obese pediatric patients.…”

“…[21][22][23][24] Due to rising obesity rates and the availability of pediatric hospital resources, 25 it is necessary to understand the relationship between patient/injury characteristics (ie, BMI) and hospital resource usage. 15,17,19 The primary aim of the present study was to explore if an increase in BMI affects resource usage in a pediatric trauma population.…”