SynthesisClinical orthopaedics and related research2014
Does obesity affect the surgical outcome and complication rates of spinal surgery? A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Clinical orthopaedics and related research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 213 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of preoperative weight-loss interventions on outcomes after elective non-bariatric surgery: meta-analysis.BJS open · 2025Pooled it
- Does an increased preoperative body mass index (BMI) affect adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery outcomes and complications? A meta-analysis.Spine deformity · 2025Pooled it
- Mortality risk in patients with underweight or obesity with peripheral artery disease: a meta-analysis including 5,735,578 individuals.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of Elevated Body Mass Index on Surgical Outcomes for Patients Undergoing Cervical Fusion Procedures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Orthopaedic surgery · 2020Pooled it
- The impact of morbid obesity and metabolic syndrome in elective spine surgery outcomes: A systematic review.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Review
- Association of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use with patient-reported outcomes after lumbar decompression or fusion.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use and clinical outcomes after posterior cervical spinal fusion for degenerative pathologies: A large cohort retrospective analysis.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Elevated body mass index and clinical outcomes after surgical stabilization for shoulder instability: A systematic review.Journal of orthopaedics · 2026Review
- Comparative outcomes of gram-positive and gram-negative intraoperative infections in degenerative scoliosis: a 10-year propensity score-matched analysis.Spine deformity · 2026Article
- Effects of Obesity on Minimally Invasive Lumbar Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of spine surgery · 2026Article
- Assessment of the causal effect of lifestyle factors on postoperative infections based on Mendelian randomization.Medicine · 2025Article
- BMI-stratified risk of thromboembolic events following lumbar spine surgery with aspirin prophylaxis.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Effects of Body Mass Index on Spondylolisthesis Surgery and Associated Patient-Reported Outcomes: A Retrospective Review.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- GLP-1 receptor agonist use in elective lumbar spine surgery: Reduced pseudarthrosis rates and favorable safety profile.Journal of orthopaedics · 2025Article
- Preoperative optimization of obese spine patients with GLP-1 receptor agonists: enhancing surgery and improving outcomes.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2025Review
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use prior to spinal surgery results in reduced postoperative length of stay: A propensity-score matched analysis.North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- Risk Factors and Outcomes of Surgical Site Infections of the Spine: A Retrospective Multi-Center Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Early revision rate after posterior spinal fusion surgery increases with every additional BMI point.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025Article
- Redefining Surgical Boundaries for Obese Patients? Full Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy Proves Equally Effective With Shorter Hospital Stay in Obese Patients.International journal of spine surgery · 2025Article
- Visceral fat: the hidden culprit behind thoracolumbar surgery infections.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs obesity becomes more prevalent, it becomes more common among patients considering orthopaedic surgery, including spinal surgery. However, there is some controversy regarding whether obesity is associated with complications, failed reconstructions, or reoperations after spinal surgery. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: We wished to determine, in patients undergoing spine surgery, whether obesity is associated with (1) surgical site infection, (2) mortality and the need for revision surgery after spinal surgery, and (3) increased surgical time and blood loss.
methodsA systematic literature search was performed to collect comparative or controlled studies that evaluated the influence of obesity on the surgical and postoperative outcomes of spinal surgery. Two reviewers independently selected trials, extracted data, and assessed the methodologic quality and quality of evidence. Pooled odds ratios (OR) and mean differences (MD) with 95% CIs were calculated using the fixed-effects model or random-effects model. Data were analyzed using RevMan 5.1. MOOSE criteria were used to ensure this project's validity. Thirty-two studies involving 97,326 patients eventually were included.
resultsSurgical site infection (OR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.94-2.79), venous thromboembolism (OR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.92-5.17), mortality (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.50-4.49), revision rate (OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.05-1.93) operating time (OR, 14.55; 95% CI, 10.03-19.07), and blood loss (MD, 28.89; 95% CI, 14.20-43.58), were all significantly increased in the obese group.
conclusionObesity seemed to be associated with higher risk of surgical site infection and venous thromboembolism, more blood loss, and longer surgical time. Future prospective studies are needed to confirm the relationship between obesity and the outcome of spinal surgery.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.