Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part E (2025)

Background and Objective: Given the frequent observation that obesity increases the technical difficulty of neuroaxial regional anesthesia, and the lack of specific studies in the Mexican population linking BMI to the number of attempts, this study aimed to determine the correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and "Difficult Neuroaxial Regional Anesthesia" in elective surgery patients at HGZ 20.
Methodology: A prospective, observational study was conducted at HGZ 20 in Puebla, approved by the ethics committee. 383 patients (aged 18-60) eligible for neuroaxial anesthesia were included. Pearson correlation (p < 0.5) was used to analyze the relationship between BMI and procedural difficulty.
Results and Conclusion: The sample had a mean age of 44 years (predominantly female). It was confirmed that both Type II diabetes and any degree of obesity negatively impact the ease of the approach. Surprisingly, second-year anesthesiology residents demonstrated the greatest success (fewest attempts) on the first try in obese patients. The study concluded that a positive correlation exists between an elevated BMI and difficulty in performing neuroaxial anesthesia.