Impact of Body Mass Index on Outcomes of Total Hip Arthroplasty at National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano

Obesity is an increasingly recognised risk factor for poor surgical outcomes following total hip arthroplasty, contributing to higher complication rates, implant failure, and reduced patient satisfaction. This retrospective cohort study investigates the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and surgical outcomes in patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano, North West Nigeria, over a five-year period. Records of consecutive patients will be reviewed for pre-operative BMI, indication for surgery, implant type, operative time, intra-operative blood loss, wound infection, prosthetic joint infection, component loosening, dislocation, and patient-reported outcome at one year using the Oxford Hip Score. Patients will be stratified into normal weight, overweight, and obese categories for comparative analysis. Fisher's exact test and analysis of variance will be used for group comparisons. It is hypothesised that obese patients have significantly higher complication rates and lower Oxford Hip Scores. Findings will be presented to the arthroplasty unit at the National Orthopaedic Hospital and used to develop pre-operative optimisation guidelines for obese patients. This study fills an important local data gap on the interaction between nutritional status and arthroplasty outcomes in North West Nigeria, where the burden of obesity is rising. Keywords: total hip arthroplasty, BMI, obesity, Oxford Hip Score, Kano.