In-hospital outcome and resource use in hip arthroplasty: influence of body mass.

To determine the influence of body mass index (BMI) on perioperative morbidity, functional recovery, and hospital use, the records of 207 patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty were reviewed and patients were grouped according to BMI. Transfusion requirements, operative complications, functional recovery, and assistance needed for transfers from supine to sit, sit to stand, and bed to chair positions were analyzed at the first physical therapy. Compared with others, morbidly obese patients (BMI > or = 40 kg/m2) had significantly longer mean operative time and higher mean intraoperative blood loss (P<.05), a trend toward more complications, but no significant difference in functional recovery and hospital use.