REVIEWS  QUESTIONS AND CONTROVERSIES IN SURGERY IN 2010 

Minerva Chirurgica 2010 December;65(6):667-75

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Perioperative considerations when operating on the very obese: tricks of the trade

Ahmed S., Morrow E., Morton J. ✉

Section of Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA

Obesity is the leading public health concern in the industrialized world with the advent of the very obese or “super obese” increasing exponentially. Bariatric surgery remains the only effective and enduring treatment for morbid obesity and can be safely accomplished in experienced centers. Surgery in the very obese may be considered high-risk: however, this risk may be managed with an experienced bariatric surgery team, appropriate anesthetic consideration, preoperative risk assessment, employment of venothrombotic event prevention, preoperative weight loss, and understanding of particular anatomic considerations. With appropriate preparation, the very obese surgical patient can achieve safe and effective surgical outcomes.