A new meta-analysis shows that obese patients are two times as likely to sustain infection after total knee replacement surgery.
The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery in late October, and led by Gino M.M.J. Kerkhoffs, MD, PhD of the Orthotrauma Research Center in Amsterdam.
Researchers consistently found that obesity was associated with increased infection rates after total knee replacements. Obese patients were more than twice as likely to develop deep infections as non-obese patients.
Dr. Silverman Comments
Working on patients who are obese is very challenging. With obese patients, wounds are larger and surgery takes longer because it is more challenging to reach the bones and to close the wounds.
With more fat dissected, there is (by definition) more tissue damage. And tissue damage is directly related to infection.
In my practice I have noted anecdotally that patients with fat that appears a deeper yellow have less of these troubles. They have less pain and less wound troubles. These patients are always on some type of Omega 3 supplementation. While there is no similar study or proof that a better Omega 3:Omega 6 ratio leads to less infection, more doctors are prescribing Omega 3 to diminish inflammation. Cardiology physicians know that inflammation that leads to cardiac disease is influenced positively by Omega 3s. It makes sense that inflammation following trauma would be modified similarly.
Related Sources:
medscape.com