Citation

Mulcahey MK, Appleyard DV, Schiller JR, Born CT. Hosp. Pract. (1995) 2011; 39(1): 146-152.

Affiliation

Department of Orthopaedics, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, JTE Multimedia)

DOI

10.3810/hp.2011.02.385

PMID

21441770

Abstract

The medical and surgical care of obese trauma patients presents a variety of unique and important challenges. Over the past 30 years, this population has increased dramatically in number, and the optimization of their care demands the attention of the medical community. The problems of caring for an obese trauma patient begin before the actual traumatic event occurs due to their substantially higher incidence of serious comorbidities, such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiopulmonary issues. In the setting of trauma, important considerations for the obese patient include careful and expeditious preoperative medical optimization; appropriate deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis; planning for and preventing operative and postoperative challenges (eg, pulmonary and wound complications); and ensuring adequate hospital equipment and staffing resources in the acute and rehabilitative phases of care. This article outlines the scope of the obesity epidemic, reviews the medical consequences of obesity, and highlights surgical considerations specific to the care of orthopedic injuries in the obese trauma patient.

Language: en