BMI Is an Independent Preoperative Predictor of Intraoperative Transfusion and Postoperative Chest-Tube Output

Background An increasing obese population in the United States focuses attention on perioperative management of obese and overweight patients. Objective We sought to determine if obesity, determined by body mass index (BMI), was a preoperative indicator of bleeding in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery as measured by intraoperative packed red blood cell transfusion frequency and 24-hour chest-tube output amount. Methods A retrospective chart review examined 290 consecutive patients undergoing single-surgeon off-pump or on-pump CABG surgery between November 2003 and April 2009. Preoperative variables of age, gender, hematocrit, platelet count, and BMI, chest tube output during the immediate 24-hour postoperative period, and the type of procedure (on-pump vs. off-pump) were analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the likelihood of intraoperative transfusion. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate 24-hour chest-tube output. Results Preoperative variables that significantly increased the likelihood of intraoperative transfusions were older age and low hematocrit; a significant decrease in likelihood was found with male gender, overweight BMI, and off-pump procedures. Preoperative variables that significantly increased 24-hour chest-tube output were low hematocrit, high hematocrit, and low platelets while a significant decrease in output was seen with overweight BMI and obese BMI. Conclusion Overweight and obese BMI are significant independent predictors of decreased intraoperative transfusion and decreased postoperative blood loss.