Radiation exposure is a hazard to orthopaedic surgeons, theatre staff and patients intra-operatively. Obesity is becoming a more prevalent problem worldwide and there is little evidence how a patient's body habitus correlates with the radiation doses required to penetrate the soft tissues for adequate imaging.

We aimed to identify if there was a correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and radiation exposure intra-operatively.

We performed a retrospective review of 75 patients who underwent sliding hip screw fixation for femoral neck fractures in one year. We recorded Body Mass Index (BMI), screening time, dose area product (DAP), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, seniority of surgeon and complexity of the fracture configuration. We analysed the data using statistical tests.

We found that there was a statistically significant correlation between dose area product and patient's BMI. There was no statistically significant relationship between screening time and BMI. There was no statistical difference between ASA grade, seniority of surgeon, or complexity of fracture configuration and dose area product.

Obese patients are exposed to increased doses of radiation regardless of length of screening time. Surgeons and theatre staff should be aware of the increased radiation exposure during fixation of fractures in obese patients and, along with radiographers, ensure steps are taken to minimise these risks.