Obese patients are nearly 12 times more likely to have postoperative complications after elective breast procedures than nonobese patients, finds a study published online ahead of print in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Overall, 18.3% of obese patients suffered complications compared to 2.2% of nonobese patients in a review of insurance claims data by Johns Hopkins researchers. There were 2,403 patients in the obese group, and 5,597 in the normal weight control group. The most common procedure was breast reduction..
