The Effect of Obesity on Early Failure After Operative Syndesmosis Injuries

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this investigation was to determine if obese patients with syndesmotic injuries have a higher incidence of early postoperative failure compared with nonobese patients. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Level 1 urban trauma center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred thirteen patients with operative syndesmotic injuries were divided into 2 cohorts: obese and nonobese. All syndesmotic injuries were confirmed by intraoperative stress testing, reduced, and stabilized with internal fixation. INTERVENTION: Fixation of displaced syndesmosis injuries with solid 3.5- and 4.5-mm screws. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was early failure of fixation, defined as revision surgery within 3 months for ankle mortise and/or syndesmosis displacement. RESULTS: Two hundred thirteen patients were identified with operative syndesmosis injuries, of which 102 (48%) were obese and 111 (52%) were nonobese. Fifteen percent (n = 15) of patients in the obese cohort sustained a failure of fixation compared with 1.8% (n = 2) of patients in the nonobese cohort (P = 0.0005). Diabetes mellitus, smoking status, and the type of construct used (eg, screw caliber, number of screws, and number of cortices) were not predictive of loss of reduction. Adjusting for injury severity, obese patients were 12 times more likely to suffer a loss of reduction compared with nonobese patients (odds ratio = 12.0, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong association between obesity and loss of reduction after operative treatment of the syndesmosis. Further research is warranted to determine if a stronger mechanical construct or more conservative postoperative protocol can reduce the risk of loss of reduction in obese patients who sustain a syndesmotic injury.