Quantifying the effect of shoulder size on operation duration: an analysis of stapes surgery outcomes

Abstract

Abstract Objective To investigate the effect of body mass index on hearing outcomes, operative time and complication rates following stapes surgery. Method This is a five-year retrospective review of 402 charts from a single tertiary otology referral centre from 2015 to 2020. Results When the patient's shoulder was adjacent to the surgeon's dominant hand, the average operative time of 40 minutes increased to 70 minutes because of a significant positive association between higher body mass index and longer operative times (normal body mass index group (<25 kg/m2) r = 0.273, p = 0.032; overweight body mass index group (25–30 kg/m2) r = 0.265, p = 0.019). Operative times were not significantly longer upon comparison of low and high body mass index groups without stratification by laterality (54.9 ± 19.6 minutes vs 57.8 ± 19.2 minutes, p = 0.127). Conclusion There is a clinically significant relationship between body mass index and operating times. This may be due to access limitations imposed by shoulder size.