The evaluation of morbidity and mortality in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair patients as related to body mass index.

Background: This study evaluates the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and other comorbidities on the overall morbidity and mortality of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.

Methods: A database of all nonemergent open and endovascular AAA repairs performed at our center from 2004 to 2008 was created. The outcomes at the predefined time intervals were then evaluated for each group of patients.

Results: One hundred forty-three patients qualified for this study with a 3:2 stent graft-to-open ratio. A trend relating patient BMI with early mortality was noted. Age>80 years was a strong predictor of mortality in all time intervals.

Conclusions: The outcomes for this population show a significant trend toward early mortality in open AAA repair patients with an elevated preoperative BMI. Appropriate patient selection and preoperative optimization are recommended for all AAA repair candidates; however, some innate characteristics such as patient age, may play the largest role in determining outcomes.