Body Mass Index and Outcomes After Pilon Fracture Fixation: A Retrospective Cohort Study
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Body mass index (BMI) did not predict complications after pilon fractures. This study suggests pilon fractures may not require the same weight-based postoperative care as other lower-extremity injuries.
Area Of Science
- Orthopedic surgery
- Trauma surgery
- Biomechanics
Background
- Pilon fractures are severe distal tibial plafond fractures with high complication rates.
- Obesity, indicated by body mass index (BMI), is often linked to poorer surgical outcomes in trauma patients.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and post-operative outcomes following surgical fixation of pilon fractures.
- To determine if elevated BMI is a predictor of complications such as infection, nonunion, and post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).
Main Methods
- Retrospective review of 132 patients with pilon fractures undergoing surgical fixation (January 2013 - June 2023).
- Inclusion criteria: minimum 6-month follow-up.
- Analysis included bivariate and multivariate models, with various BMI cutoffs (≥30, ≥35, ≥40, ≥45) to assess outcomes.
Main Results
- No significant relationship was found between BMI and infection, nonunion, or PTOA rates on bivariate analysis (P > .05).
- Multivariate analysis identified diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for infection (P = .01), but BMI was not a predictor of any outcomes.
- Different BMI cutoffs did not yield significant differences in complication rates.
Conclusions
- Body mass index (BMI) is not an independent predictor of post-operative complications in patients with pilon fractures.
- Pilon fractures may have unique healing characteristics that differ from other lower-extremity injuries regarding weight-bearing protocols.
- Further research in larger cohorts with long-term follow-up is needed to confirm these findings.
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