The Effect of Obesity on Achilles Tendon Repair

Category: Sports Introduction/Purpose: Obesity is increasingly common and has been highlighted as a comorbidity that may negatively impact outcomes following orthopaedic surgery. Operative versus nonoperative treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures continues to be controversial, as operative treatment may slightly reduce the likelihood of rerupture but carries the inherent surgical risks. To further delineate the patients who are at risk of postoperative complications it is of value to determine whether obese patients are particularly vulnerable. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of obesity on surgical treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures. Methods: Patients who underwent a surgical repair of the Achilles tendon were retrospectively identified through the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP). The patients were divided into two cohorts (obese and nonobese), and peri and postoperative factors were evaluated for association with obesity. Results: A total of 2128 patients were identified, of which 887 (41.7%) were classified as obese. Obesity correlated with an increased operative time, 60.9 minutes versus 56.1 minutes. The only postoperative complication that was associated with obesity was wound healing complication, based on univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated obesity was not associated with an increased risk of wound healing complication, infection, deep venous thrombosis, or other systemic complication. Conclusion: A large segment of the patient population undergoing Achilles tendon repair is obese. In the current study, although obesity increased the likelihood of developing a wound complication following Achilles tendon repair based on univariate analysis, it was not significantly associated with any other complication.