Quantifying the effect of shoulder size on operation duration: an analysis of stapes surgery outcomes.

To investigate the effect of body mass index on hearing outcomes, operative time and complication rates following stapes surgery. This is a five-year retrospective review of 402 charts from a single tertiary otology referral centre from 2015 to 2020. When the patient's shoulder was adjacent to the surgeon's dominant hand, the average operative time of 40 minutes increased to 70 minutes because of a significant positive association between higher body mass index and longer operative times (normal body mass index group (<25 kg/m There is a clinically significant relationship between body mass index and operating times. This may be due to access limitations imposed by shoulder size.