Aim: Obesity is generally presented to be a risk factor in surgical procedures including the cardiac ones. The aim of this work was to conduct a retrospective study comparing surgical results of the cardiosurgical procedures depending on each pati-enťs body mass index data (BMI). Methodology: All 4266 patients operated by our team during 1998-2002 háve been included in the study. The patient sub-jects were allocated in 5 groups according to their individual BMIs. Preoperative, peroperative and postoperative data of all groups were compared. Results: There were no significant differences in the preoperative and peroperative data between the groups. The postoperative results showed no statistical differences between the individual groups, indicating a trend towards better results in the groups with higher BMIs. On the contrary, the results of the group with the BMI of less than 20 kg/m2 were the worst, howe-ver they were also of no statistical significance. Conclusion: The restrospective study did not prove the obesity to be a risk factor in cardiosurgical procedures. On the contrary, it suggested the BMI of less than 20 kg/m2 to be a risk factor.

        Key words: obesity - overweight - body mass index - surgery - heart