The effect of body mass index on rehabilitation of patients with amputation

Introduction This retrospective cohort study was designed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and the functional progress of 327 consecutive patients with amputation admitted to the amputee unit of a freestanding acute care rehabilitation hospital between January 2000 and April 2006. Methods Data were analyzed during the period of January 2000 to April 2006 from all previously amputated patients admitted and discharged from an acute freestanding rehabilitation hospital. Data were retrieved from the medical record including diagnosis, height, and weight measured before amputation, functional independence measurements (FIMs) scored on admission and discharge, and the length of rehabilitation hospitalization. Results After adjusting for age, sex, and length of stay, the FIM gain per day was the highest among those in the obese class I, followed by those in obese class III and the underweight group. Conclusions In patients undergoing rehabilitation after amputation, FIM gain per day is not significantly associated with BMI. Thus, obese patients can expect to have functional gains that are similar to patients with normal BMI after amputation.