A study conducted by Elizabeth C. Wick, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues has revealed that patients who undergo colectomy have a higher risk of developing surgical site infection (SSI) if they are obese. The risk can go upto 60%, the study says.

In the study, the team has checked the SSI rates among 7020 patients aged between 18 and 64 who were suffering from diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease or colon cancer. In these patients, 1,243 suffered from obesity, while 5,777 were not suffering from it.

The study has also found that this adds to the financial burden of patients who develop SSI have to stay for a longer time in the hospital and the overall cost of treatment increases.

"By far, the most common major SSI risk factor encountered is obesity. Thus, depending on the effect of obesity as an intrinsic risk factor for SSI pay-for-performance policies may be penalizing surgeons who disproportionately care for these high-risk populations" , the team says.

The overall SSI percentage was 10.3%. 14.5 percent obese patients had a higher rate of SSI, while it was just 9.5 percent for non-obese patients.

The investigators concluded that obese patients undergoing colectomy impose an extra burden to the health care system. If increased risk of infection and cost of caring is not accounted for in pay-for-performance policies for obese, surgeons who treat the patients shall be affected.