Overweight Status Appears to Reduce Mortality in Seniors Undergoing Elective Surgery
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Aug. 28, 2025 -- Older adults (aged 65 years and older) with overweight who undergo elective surgery have a lower rate of 30-day all-cause mortality compared with those with a normal body mass index (BMI), according to a study published online Aug. 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Cecilia Canales, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues examined whether higher BMI in older adults undergoing major elective surgery is associated with rates of all-cause mortality in an observational cohort study. A total of 414 older adults (mean age, 75.9 years) undergoing major elective surgery were included.
The researchers found that the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty was 24.2 and 37.0 percent, respectively. Within the cohort, the overall 30-day all-cause mortality rate was 11.0 percent. The lowest 30-day all-cause mortality rate was seen for patients categorized as overweight (BMI, 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2), with a significant risk reduction compared with patients with a normal BMI (0.8 versus 18.8 percent; odds ratio, 0.03). After adjustment for potential confounders, the association remained significant (odds ratio, 0.14). The highest 30-day all-cause mortality rate was seen for patients categorized as underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m2; 75.0 percent).
"These findings challenge traditional preoperative guidelines emphasizing achievement of normal weight before surgery for older adults," the authors write.
One author disclosed ties to the medical device industry; a second author disclosed ties to the publishing industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted August 2025
Read this next
Shared, Sex-Specific Body Fat Patterns Linked to Cardiovascular Aging
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 2025 -- Shared and sex-specific patterns of body fat are associated with changes in cardiovascular aging, according to a study published online Aug. 22 in the...
Remotely Delivered Weight-Loss Intervention Beneficial in Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27, 2025 -- A remotely delivered weight-loss intervention (WLI) induces significant weight loss in patients with breast cancer and overweight or obesity, according...
Incidence of Hemodynamic Valve Deterioration 6.2 Percent After TAVI
TUESDAY, Aug. 26, 2025 -- For patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), the incidence of one-year hemodynamic valve deterioration (HVD) was 6.2 percent...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.