Obesity and Acute Abdominal Pain
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Does the patient journey of obese patients presenting with an acute abdomen vary from non obese patients?
IRAS ID
202369
Contact name
Jennifer Isherwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS FT
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 2 days
Research summary
Obesity is an increasing burden on the health service. In the UK 25% of adults are obese.
There is a paucity of studies on the effect of obesity in the context of an acute general surgical admission with abdominal pain. The increase in adipose tissue makes examination more challenging and eliciting signs of peritonism difficult. As a result patients with a raised BMI will likely undergo more investigations which may ultimately result in delayed diagnosis and management.The aims of this study are to establish whether BMI and/or waist/height circumference are associated with increased investigation, delay to theatre, and prolonged length of stay in the context of an acute surgical admission with abdominal pain. It is anticipated that this study will shed highlight potential pitfalls and challenges in the management of obese patient on the acute general surgical take.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0265
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jun 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion