Table 5.
Unadjusted differences in selected processes of care among body mass index categories
| Process of carea | Underweight (<18.5 kg/m2) n = 88 | Normal (18.5–24.9 kg/m2) n = 544 | Overweight (25–29.9 kg/m2) n = 399 | Obese (30–39.9 kg/m2) n = 326 | Severely obese (≥40 kg/m2) n = 131 | p Valueb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heparin prophylaxis for thromboembolic disease | 36 (40.9%) | 238 (43.8%) | 165 (41.4%) | 150 (46.0%) | 75 (57.2%) | .026 |
| Tracheostomy | 20 (22.7%) | 94 (17.3%) | 77 (19.3%) | 80 (24.5%) | 34 (26.0%) | .045 |
| Tracheostomy among hospital survivors | 14 (35.0%) | 56 (17.4%) | 52 (20.2%) | 55 (24.2%) | 23 (24.2%) | .054 |
| Use of specialty bed | 18 (20.4%) | 80 (14.7%) | 79 (18.9%) | 57 (17.5%) | 38 (29.0%) | .003 |
a
Categorical variables presented as frequency (%);
b
Pearson’s chi-square test.