Nosocomial infections and obesity in surgical patients

Objective: There is an increased morbidity and mortality associated with surgery in the obese patient. This study was conducted to determine risk factors and compare the nosocomial infection rate in obese and nonobese surgical patients. Research Methods and Procedures: A total of 395 surgical patients were evaluated. BMI was calculated for each patient. Various conventional risk factors for nosocomial infections were recorded. Biochemical parameters with plasma total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were measured. The diagnosis of infection was made according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. Univariate and two-step multivariate logistic regression methods were used for determination of nosocomial infection risk factors. Results: There were 117 nosocomial infections identified in 96 of 395 surgically operated patients. A significant increase in the total number of nosocomial infections was determined in obese patients compared with the normal-weight patients (p < 0.05). High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol below the 10th percentile increased risk of surgical site infection. Discussion: Our results suggest that obesity is an important risk factor for postoperative nosocomial infection.